Dwayne Bravo regained his mojo at Patriots, says Ragoonath

FORMER TRINIDAD and Tobago and West Indies opening batsman Suruj Ragoonath believes veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has regained his mojo after playing with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament.

For the first time in the history of the CPL, Bravo represented the Patriots. Bravo, who played for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the first eight years of the CPL, captained the Patriots to the 2021 title on September 15. He also made contributions with both bat and ball.

Bravo left TKR seeking a new challenge as he wanted to guide up-and-coming players. Throughout the tournament he was seen passing on his vast experience especially in the bowling department.

Since the Indian Premier League (IPL) resumed on September 19 there has been no stopping Bravo. The medium-pacer has snatched eight wickets in the three matches he has played for Chennai Super Kings.

“I think Bravo has regained his mojo so to speak,” Ragoonath told Newsday, on Thursday.

“Something has been triggered with him captaining the Patriots team. I think he is seemingly re-energised, feeling refreshed and you can see it in his enthusiasm on the field. It has reflected in his performances both with the bat and the ball, not just with the ball alone. That augurs well for West Indies going into the (T20) World Cup.”

In his latest outing, Bravo grabbed two wickets to help Super Kings defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets with two balls remaining, on Thursday.

Bravo’s 2/17 in four overs helped limit Sunrisers to a modest 134/7 in 20 overs. West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder could only muster five for Sunrisers.

In response, Super Kings closed on 139/4 in 19.4 overs. Bravo did not bat.

Holder, who has also been solid since the tournament resumed, gave Sunrisers a glimmer of hope with 3/27 in four overs. The victory meant Super Kings sealed a place in the playoffs.

Ragoonath said Bravo still has the ability with his bowling variations.

“He is proving that he is still one of the better death bowlers. He has not lost any of his skill.”

Bravo, who turns 38 on October 7, is in the 15-man West Indies T20 World Cup team getting ready to play in the marquee tournament from October 17-November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Bravo recently said he plans to retire from international cricket after the World Cup.

Asked if the West Indies bowling attack can be competitive after Bravo says goodbye to the game, Ragoonath said, “We have one year to build to the next (T20) World Cup (in Australia). It’s not a long period of time, so I guess we are going to be struggling a little bit.”

Ragoonath said West Indies will have to play one series at a time.

West Indies fans need to cherish the time Bravo has left, said Ragoonath.

“It’s going to be a big loss to West Indies cricket (when he retires), especially his death bowling. It is going to be difficult to replace him…with (Andre) Russell also carrying injures you are never sure with him. Post 2021 World Cup I know we are going to struggle more (to get) better bowlers to replace these guys.”