Indian cricket has come a long way from being just mere remains of the sport mainly dominated by England, West Indies, and Australia. Despite being one of the most reckoning forces in the cricketing roster in the current days, the Indians who found fame previously used to ply their trade for different countries.
In this story, we will be looking at five cricketers of Indian origin who found themselves emphatic glory in the Caribbean islands and slammed a century for the West Indies.
5. Alvin Kallicharran
Alvin Isaac Kallicharran, one of the batting virtuosos of the West Indies, was born in Port Mourant, British Guiana (now Guyana). His grandparents were born in India, however, they shifted to the Indies when war came marauding for them.
A fearless batsman who never hesitated to take on the most seraphic fast bowlers without any helmet grille and drill them into every nook and cranny managed to smash 4399 Test runs and 826 ODI runs.
Despite being shy of his very best in the shorter version of the game, he was still able to chronicle 12 centuries in the longest format of the game, stamping his authority over others.
4. Rohan Kanhai
Rohan Bholalall Kanhai who was born in Guyana was one of the finest West Indian batsmen of the ’60s. The man drew contrasts to illustrious names of the sport that featured the likes of Sir Garfield Sobers, Roy Fredericks, Lance Gibbs, and Alvin Kallicharan. Though the link isn’t as distinct it should be, yet it is believed that his Indian heritage stems all the way while his great grand parents migrated to the Islands.
He was unable to emulate his heroics in the truncated version of the game as his age caught up with him while his records in the unabridged version of the game seemed impeccable.
The man bashed 6227 Test runs at a fine average of 47.53 that comprised 15 centuries and 28 half-centuries. He even clobbered his way to a career-best of 256 in Test cricket.
3. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Hailing from Guyana, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the first Indo-Caribbean cricketer to play 100 Tests for the West Indies. He was deemed as one of the batting icons for the Islanders, and he managed to establish himself in both formats of the game in an equally convincing manner. He hails all the way back to India during the colonial era.
He garnered 11867 Test runs and 8778 ODI runs that propelled him to a pedestal of the Caribbean batting greats. The man managed to stitch together 30 Test centuries and 11 ODI centuries. He had an eccentric batting stance that left the bowlers scratching their heads to find the perfect angle to bowl into the diminutive genius.
2. Ramnaresh Sarwan
One of the most dependable middle-order batsmen that West Indies could feel at home with was Ramnaresh Sarwan. He ensured a perfect transition from the opening to the hitting duo of Ridley Jacobs and Ricardo Powell with the blade and his variegated arsenal of strokes. He hails from an Indian family and his parents’ name are Kishan and Kumari Sarwan.
The right-hander blasted 15 centuries in the longer format of the game while in the shorter format of the game his exploits beyond the magical figures read 5. He managed to garner 10,000 international runs that also made him an emphatic part of the Caribbean squad.
1. Denesh Ramdin
A cricketer who fell out of favour way too earlier than he was supposed to be for unknown reasons, Denesh Ramdin showed exemplary class with the bat and also with the glove. He was one of the coolest customers cricket has ever seen. His ancestry stems back to a Bhojpuri origin.
The Trinidadian cricketer of Indian descent managed to smash 2898 Test runs and 2200 ODI runs that helped him to cross the hallowed landmark. He smashed 4 Test centuries and 2 ODI centuries.
Though his reason for being dropped is unclear, it is stated that he went against the authorities and that is what led him to his downfall.
