Bravo was once said to be the next Brian Lara, but has failed to live up to the hype
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin has made it clear that he has high expectations for all-rounder Marlon Samuels and batsman Darren Bravo during the Test series against Australia, which begins on Wednesday.
Ramdin’s comments come after veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who has been the anchor of the West Indian innings on numerous occasions, was dropped due to his poor form with the bat as of late.
“It’s very important that the main players stand up, put our hands up and do the bulk of the batting for the team,” Ramdin said. “We know what Marlon is capable of, young Darren Bravo who has been here for six, seven years now, a lot rests on his shoulders. He knows that and I think he’s going to do well in this series.
“We’ve got some youngsters who’ve done well in the regional tournament. They have the talent, it’s just about getting some experience at this level now. They’re going to get the opportunity. The opposition is going to come hard at us so I think they’re going to put up their hand and be counted for. The series against England was good, a brilliant experience for some of the guys and that’ll help us going forward.”
Ramdin also feels that the West Indies have an advantage over Australia heading into the first Test in Dominica as the Baggy Greens have not played a Test match since beating India 2-0 in January. The West Indies on the other hand faced England in a three-match Test series in April to May, which ended as a 1-1 draw.
“It’s good always going into a series with some cricket behind you,” he said. “We got that result that we wanted in Barbados to level the series but we know they’re a good team.
“We’re in a good frame of mind coming off the last Test match where we had a win against England. A good week in Barbados, preparation, the last three days were fantastic. We did some good things and hopefully we can carry that into the game.”
Despite Australia’s lack of Test cricket as of late, Ramdin is not underestimating the Baggy Greens as he knows what they are capable of.
“We have some good spinners, they have some good batters,” Ramdin said. “It’s going to be a keenly good contest. We need to get the right areas and put them under some pressure. Our new ball bowlers need to get early wickets so the lower order will be under some pressure and our spinners can play a part probably day three or day four.”