Sarwan is pleased to be back in international colours

Last year, West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan wanted nothing to do with the national team or the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) after they publicly criticised his fitness and dropped him.

Fast forward to the present day and nobody would have thought that the WICB and national selectors would have been recalling Sarwan to the national team for their ongoing limited overs series against Australia.

While Sarwan claimed that he was “mentally and emotionally” hurt by the comments the WICB made about him and even won $161,000 in damages during a hearing against the board, he stated that both he and the WICB were back on mutual terms and added that it was a pleasure to be back representing his country once again.

“I’m happy to be back in the team,” Sarwan said. “Obviously I’ve been out for a while, but it feels really good to be back representing West Indies.

“I am hitting the ball pretty well. It’s a matter of me trying to get myself in and settle down and look to get big scores for the team.”

During the West Indies’ tour of England last year, Sarwan decided to play county cricket for Leicestershire rather than represent his country since he was still fuming about being dropped and the “negative” criticisms he had received from coach Ottis Gibson.

“The coach said some negative stuff that hurt me mentally and emotionally,” Sarwan told BBC Sport in May last year. “Mentally I was broken down, not from the stress of playing, it’s just certain individuals have drained me mentally. It took a toll on my confidence and the way I play. Everything went away.

“I’m away from all those problems, my mind is at ease and I have had nothing to worry about, no coach to say any negative things. At one point I didn’t know which was my back foot and which was my front foot. Now I’m much better, more precise with my movements, everything crystal clear in my head.

“I never spoke about this because I was caught up in a shell and I used to not come out of my house for up to three days. My dad was the one to inspire me to start back playing.”

Sarwan prospered for Leicestershire, making 294 runs at an average of 36.75 in limited overs matches, while also scoring 941 runs at a respectable average of 40.91 in the four-day format as well.

However, the same could not be said about his performance for Guyana in the Caribbean domestic Twenty20 tournament, where he posted scores of 8, 1, 2 and 7 in four matches.

With the West Indies set to return home for a series against Zimbabwe, Sarwan will be looking to stamp his authority across all three formats and show his team-mates that he still has what it takes to be a part of the national side.