Interview: Ronnie Sarwan Unplugged

Sat, Mar 9, '02

A couple of days after the Mashramani festivities in Georgetown I caught up with West Indies middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan in the Members Pavilion of his home ground Bourda where the first test of the Cable & Wireless 2002 Series would be played against India.

I questioned him about not yet scoring a Test hundred, his failures in Australia, the successful tour of Sri Lanka and about everything that I could within the confines of cricket and his career. The following are excerpts from my interview with Sars...

RS: Obviously my main goal is to contribute in whatever way I can to help West Indies win the series and from a personal point of view I?m looking to have a good series, to try and maintain the standard that I set in Sri Lanka and hopefully I?d be able to better that.

IK: As a result of Ryan Hinds coming into the team, Chanderpaul returning and Wavell Hinds seemingly getting back some form do you feel as though your middle order position is threatened in any way?


RS: Once you?re playing for the West Indies it?s always a threat to maintain your position. There are so many players out there, so many good players that are challenging you for your position and you never feel at ease. But I won?t take that and make it a problem, there still are quite a few games left in the Busta Cup and hopefully when we get to the semi-finals I?ll be fit for that. If I get a chance to play and get a good score I should get back in the team.

IK: When you were in the team you went to Roger Harper and requested the number three position. Everyone was impressed with your performance, do you think when you get back into the team you should start at number three or start a little lower and move up?



RS: Actually I didn?t request it from Roger; I requested it from Carl during the Red Stripe Bowl. I told him I wanted to bat at 3 and he said it was ok and he gave me the opportunity. I would like to say special thanks to him for giving me that opportunity. Whenever I get back in the West Indies team I wouldn?t say if I should bat lower down or bat at three. I think it?s up to the coach and the captain to decide the batting order. If they think I?m good enough to bat at 3, 5, 6 wherever I will fit in that slot. It doesn?t matter if I bat at 3 or 6 or 5 or 4.

IK: You?ve made nine fifties in your career so far without going on to make a hundred. People are starting to say that Sarwan is another fifties specialist like Chanderpaul. Does this worry you at all?


RS: Not at all! I don?t think I would look at it from that point of view. I should be very thankful that I?ve been getting good scores ? 60s, 70s - it could have been a lot worse and I think it?s just a matter of time before I can convert those 50s into hundreds. I will just have to be a little more patient and a little more focused whenever I get into the 80s because it seems like when I get there I start to think about a hundred and I think that is where I lose my concentration.

IK: And you freeze up...


RS: Yeah and I tend to freeze. So I more or less would have to pay special attention when I get into the 80s and just bat as normal, bat the same way like when I get to 80 and don?t try and change anything.

IK: There has been talk that you seem preoccupied with trying to make a big hundred as your first hundred probably like the 277 Lara made as his first. Is this at the back of your head? That the first hundred that you make should be a huge hundred or a double?


RS: I never really thought about it being a huge hundred. I think once I get to that three figure landmark I would be very pleased but that doesn?t mean that I wouldn?t want to go on and get a big hundred. But I have never really thought about it being a big hundred, I've just been thinking about getting a hundred. I think this is a bit of a reminder from you as well, even when I get to a hundred I shouldn?t be pleased I should try and get something big.

IK: Do you feel that getting a hundred in test cricket has now become a burden to you?



RS: No I don?t think it?s a burden. I?ve played quite a few first class games as well and it took a while for me to get my first hundred. I won?t take it as a burden I just think it?s a matter of time and I?m sure sooner rather than later I?ll be able to get that hundred.

IK: You have never scored a huge hundred in first class cricket. Is this a burden?


RS: No it?s not. I?ve been thinking about it though. I?ve seen Chris Gayle batting, looking at him, he gives me motivation because whenever he scores a hundred it?s a very big hundred and I want to do the same. I?m looking up to him as well and once he is scoring those big hundreds I think I?m good enough to score big hundreds as well. Of late I?ve been thinking about it and I think it?s a matter of being mature and I think I?m getting to that stage now where I?m feeling more confident and trying to dominate first class cricket.

IK: The last time you played here at Bourda you came pretty close to scoring a hundred ? run out for 91. Do you feel any additional pressure to score a home hundred in the first test?


RS: It would be a privilege to score a hundred at Bourda, honestly. It would be a dream come true for me. It?s not a pressure situation though, it would be more or less a challenge and I live for that moment.

IK: You and Lara were the only West Indian batsmen to do well in Sri Lanka. What was the key to you doing so well?

RS: It was my determination. Murali was getting the ball to turn a whole lot and Vaas was getting the ball to swing a fair bit and there were times when I was doubting my ability, that I won?t be able to survive Murali. When those times came up I tended to remember what happened during the ?99 series against the India 'A' Team, I wasn?t scoring and I was telling myself ?you?ve got to believe in yourself and you?re good enough to be here?.

IK: Did batting with Lara help in any way?


RS: Yeah, batting with Brian was a privilege and an advantage for me. I played off of his strength ?cause he was scoring so freely there was no need for me to try anything. And also he was getting on top of the bowlers and they were trying extra hard to get me out and I was getting the bad balls. To a lesser extent the same thing happened with Carl, so I tend to bat off of their strengths.

IK: Do you prefer to bat with any one of the two?


RS: I would prefer to bat with them both as against any other player in the team. I?m not saying that I don?t trust the rest of players but I feel a lot more comfortable batting with Carl and Brian.

IK: Your average is 37 at the moment. Ideally what would you like it to be?



RS: To be honest, hopefully at the end of the India series I can get it somewhere over 40. My goal when I went to Sri Lanka was to get it somewhere close to 40 and I have achieved that. So if I can get it in the mid forties at the end of the India tour I?d be very happy.

IK: Ted Dexter said at the end of your career you could comfortably average over 50. What would you like it to be at the end of your career?


RS: I would love to average over 50 at the end of my career but we all know once you average over 40 at test level it?s a very good average. I?ll be very pleased if I average 40 when I?m finished playing test cricket. I would just take it game-by-game and step-by-step and keep readjusting my goals.

IK: You?ve been touted as good captaincy material, as someone who should be groomed to take over. Are you eyeing the captaincy?


RS: I never thought about it. I think I have a long way to go before I even captain Guyana much less West Indies. I think I would have to captain Guyana before I captain West Indies. I?m not thinking about it at the moment but to captain the West Indies team would be a great honour and a privilege. I?m not saying that I should captain the Guyana team next year or two years from now but I feel I would need that exposure and experience to captain at the next level.

IK: The West Indies team is going through what is being called a rebuilding process. As a young middle order batsman who is fairly cemented in the squad what do you see as your role in this rebuilding process?


RS: My goal is to try and help West Indies get back to the top and for us to get back to the top I would have to perform consistently and not myself alone, the other young players as well. I think if all of us can come together and contribute West Indies cricket should get back to the top. Not taking away anything from Brian Lara and Carl Hooper. I look forward to their leadership.

IK: Lara?s availability for the first test is not absolutely certain. If he is absent for one or more matches would this multiply your responsibilities especially because of the fact that you?ve been batting at Number 3 ? a position which he previously batted at?


RS: Brian Lara?s shoes are very big shoes to fill. I don?t think anyone can fill it but I can say it?s a chance for the younger players to step up and show what they have. I?d be looking forward to that because if Brian is not there, there would be an open middle order spot and I think it?s a good opportunity for the younger players to show themselves and show how good they are. I won?t try to fill Brian Lara?s shoes but I will try to score as many runs as possible. With no Brian Lara around, I honestly feel the younger players should be more hungry to score runs.

IK: What happened in Australia? There is a feeling that the WICB made a tremendous mistake in sending you to the academy shortly before the series started.


RS: I don?t think that it was a mistake when the board sent me to the academy. I benefited from that physically, not technically at all because nothing changed from then to now. It was all my fault; it was more or less my technique. The wickets here in the Caribbean are pretty much different to the ones in Australia, it?s a lot more bouncy than the ones here. My problem in Australia was that I was getting onto the front foot too early, trying to fight the bowlers and my leg was coming across too much, things I?ve worked on with coach Roger Harper since the tour to Australia and I really appreciate his help.

IK: Favourite venue?


RS: My favourite venue is Bourda and also the Wanderers in South Africa, because of the atmosphere and everything.

IK: Least favourite venue?


RS: None.

IK: The top five bowlers you?ve faced?


RS: I would have to say Murali for certain, McGrath, Darren Gough, Andy Caddick and Wasim Akram.

IK: You said you admire Gayle and look up to him and he motivates and encourages you a lot. Who else?


RS: Carl Hooper who has motivated me since I was 14 and he still does. Actually he was the first person who told me I would play test cricket when he saw me here at Bourda. Since then I have taken my cricket differently. He is the one who is responsible for where I am today because of his advice to me on that particular day. I?ve been playing with him for quite sometime now and whenever he plays with me he tends to give me a lot of advice.

IK: You?re 21 now, in ten years where do you want Ramnaresh Sarwan to be?


RS: In ten years time I should be very cemented in the West Indies team. No one should be threatening my position whether it is 3, 4, 5 or 6. I should be one of the top batsmen in the West Indies team.