Ramdin gets help from Aussie great

Already being hailed as the next long-term wicketkeeper-batsman for the regional team and a senior leader in the making, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been the beneficiary of tutelage from experienced hands at home and abroad.

Such guidance has come in recent time from the combative former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Ian Healy, with whom Ramdin has developed a close working relationship with Down Under.

His polished glovework earned the admiration of Healy and former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who were also members of the television commentary team, with Healy taking his interest a step further.

Ramdin said: "He gave me a couple tips when I met him for the first time in Sri Lanka, advising me on things I needed to do to improve my technique, which I worked on back at home after the tour," he revealed.

"I think I’ve developed a bit more in my ‘keeping with that advice. I came over to Australia and he has done some more work with me. He also advised me on the challenges of batting and keeping on Australian wickets."

Healy has been a regular visitor to West Indies practice sessions since the start of the tour, focusing entirely on one-on-one sessions with Ramdin.

In his formative years in central Trinidad, Ramdin was fortunate to also have former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop as skipper and mentor.

"It’s a great thing to have these guys around, given their knowledge and experience," Ramdin stated before a practice session at the Adelaide Oval in preparation for the third and final Test against the Aussies. "I’ve played a lot of games under ‘Bish,’ who is the captain of my club back home. By having guys like him around, you feel more comfortable, you can ask them questions, get advice and they can help you in every aspect of your game."

In the aftermath of a fluent innings of 71 and a 182-run seventh-wicket partnership with Dwayne Bravo in the second innings of the second Test in Hobart, Ramdin has again earned a share of the spotlight from an Australian media almost desperate for visiting players to focus on other than the team’s lone superstar, Brian Lara. Yet the baby of the touring party is not distracted by the attention. "It’s just about keeping my head on, continuing to work hard and doing the basics right," he responded when questioned about the danger of becoming complacent amid the accolades. "It’s important to be around the right people at the right time to keep you on the right track." Admitting that it is a challenge to stay positive and upbeat in a team that has grown so accustomed to losing, Ramdin says the immediate task of trying to establish himself in the side precludes any serious consideration of being a future West Indies captain.

"I’d just like to focus on my game, batting and ‘keeping, just to develop more," the former West Indies under-19 skipper said.