IANS/Bridgetown (Barbados)

Former West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin yesterday said he is under no pressure particularly with the presence of two other wicket keepers in the regional squad which has assembled in Barbados for a training camp ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka.
Ramdin, a wicket-keeper batsman, is part of a regional outfit that also includes wicket keeper batsmen Shane Dowrich and Shai Hope preparing to play two Test matches, three One-Day Internationals and two T20s against Sri Lanka from October 14, reports CMC.
“I am not feeling any pressure at all,” declared Ramdin.
“They might be under more pressure than me because they have less experience and they will be batting higher up the order.”
The Trinidadian cricketer was removed as the West Indies Test captain after 14 matches and 15 months in charge and has been replaced by Jason Holder, also the ODI captain. The West Indies selectors have told the discarded captain that he should focus on his batting and Ramdin has expressed confidence that he can deliver.
“I feel good at the moment, looking to hit some balls and get my game going,” he said.
“It will be important to spend time at the crease and forge partnerships with whoever is batting with me.”
Ramdin’s sacking has sparked criticism especially from some officials in Trinidad and Tobago while Holder’s promotion to captain has been criticised in some quarters as premature.
But Ramdin has expressed full support for Holder and says he remains committed to providing support to the young skipper.
“Jason is a good guy, I advised him on many things during the World Cup and I intend to do my part in this series,” said Ramdin.
“He is a young captain and needs all the support he can get in order to make a difference”.
Ramdin has appealed to senior players to step-up their game and says he believes the team has the “all-round strength” to beat Sri Lanka.
“The senior men on the team have to make their experience count for him and people like Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kraigg Brathwaite and myself have to make sure we have good totals. Then the bowlers like Devendra Bishoo must lead the charge,” he said.
“Bishoo is a key man in those conditions for us and he has been bowling very well, so we need to back him up and look to take the fight to the home team. I think we have the all-round strength to beat this team and we are going to give it our best efforts.”