Robust Ronnie

He’s happy again. Not because he celebrated his 26th birthday by hitting 6 fours in an over but because things are fine on personal front. For the Guyanese, tipped as the future captain of WI, things couldn’t get better, writes Gaurav Gupta.

The six consecutive fours that he smashed off a hapless Munaf Patel in the ongoing St. Kitts Test wasn’t just a gift he was presenting to himself on his 26th birthday. It was a reflection of the fact that Ramnaresh ‘Ronnie’ Sarwan is presently having the time of life. He has just been promoted to the No. 3 spot — a slot generally reserved for the best batsman in the side — by his captain, he is widely tipped to replace Brian Lara as the Windies skipper sometime in the future, and his knocks are proving to be match-winning efforts more often than earlier. It is, however, something very personal, but nevertheless crucial to happiness, that is keeping the Guyanese in high spirits these days.

Sarwan is currently dating Nicolette Mary-Lou Fernandes. Who’s that, one may wonder. Well, the Guyana lass is a national squash queen, national basketballer and a senior and junior Sportswoman of the year (for 2000 and 2001). To boot it, she is known to be gorgeous.

Interestingly, Sarwan is just furthering the ‘rich’ legacy of the Windies number three batsmen. Alvin Kalicharran dated a porn actress Lawrence Rowe, a Miss Jamaica; Rohan Kanhai, a British stage actress; Viv Richards dated and had a daughter with Indian actress Neena Gupta, and Lara dated or probably still dates a lingerie model. There is more to Sarwan’s new-found love than merely an attraction between two successful sportspersons. Just like Shah Rukh Khan in Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai, one of his favourite flicks, Sarwan found love, lost it, and then found it again — with a different woman.

In ‘Nic,’ as Ronnie fondly calls her, the latter just might have found the succor he was searching for ever since he lost his childhood sweetheart, Lisa Kensinally, suddenly to a brief illness even as he was on his first overseas tour. Sarwan, who had ironically called off the relationship for his career, flew down back from England for the funeral. It shattered him mentally, as it would any 22-year-old. However, Sarwan decided that the best tribute to his lost lady was to succeed on the field. It wasn’t easy initially. Three runs in five innings in Australia almost sent him back to playing for Guyana, but the man who scored an unbeaten 84 on his Test debut against a Pakistan bowling line-up of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed, which moved former England captain Ted Dexter to predict an average of more than 50, wasn’t to be outdone so soon. He kept chipping in with useful scores in subsequent series’ to salvage his place in the team, but the ‘impact knock,’ which for a young batsman, especially a struggling one, essentially means a ton, wasn’t coming. But after 28 Tests and 49 innings, the gritty right-hander breached the barrier against Bangladesh. There has not been looking back.

Year 2003 established him as one of the gutsiest players around. In a do-or-die game for the Caribbeans in the World Cup that year in South Africa, Sarwan returned to the crease and almost won the game for his team after Sri Lankan pacer Dilhara Fernando’s bouncer had sent him to the hospital. Then came his hour of glory. After arriving at the crease at 74 for three, Sarwan anchored one of the most brilliant chases in Test history as the Windies scored 420 in the fourth innings to win against Australia in the final Test. His knock of 105 drew as much attention as his spat with Glenn McGrath. Apparently, the ‘Pigeon’ asked him: “How’s Lara’s d***?” To which, Sarwan replied: “Go and ask your wife.” For the diminutive Sarwan, beanpole McGrath bore no fears.

Since that knock, Sarwan, who made his debut for Guyana in Red Stripe Cup at the age of 15 years, has consolidated his image as one of the top batting stars for the Windies. His 261 not out against Bangladesh in 2004 is the highest Test score by a Guyana batsman.

That year, Windies shocked the cricket world by winning the Champions Trophy in England, and guess who was voted as the man of the Tournament? Sarwan, of course.