Newsday's SSCL Star of the Week: Rambaran eyes CPL, West Indies glory

GETTING a taste of being in a senior TT Red Force cricket squad, has given Andrew Rambaran even more hunger to strive for greatness.

Rambaran, the Vishnu Boys' Hindu College cricket captain, had one of the best individual performances of the PowerGen Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) premier division 50-over season.

Rambaran is an attacking player who is not scared to play his shots, and he certainly showed his ball-striking ability on February 25 in a round-seven match against Toco Secondary. The left-handed batsman struck five fours and 11 sixes in his innings of 104 off only 35 deliveries.

Rambaran's innings, along with Christian Lall's 119, guided Vishnu to a massive 508/6 in the 46-over match.

The Vishnu Boys' Hindu College captain did not end there as he returned with his spin bowling to grab 6/12 in five overs as Toco were all out for 94 in 22.3 overs.

Rambaran, who earned his first Red Force selection for the West Indies Four-Day Championships earlier this year, is not satisfied with just starring at junior level as he has goals of making it on the world stage.

Name: Andrew Rambaran

Form: Upper six

Batting style: Left-handed batsman

Bowling style: Left-arm orthodox bowler

Residence: Caroni

Favourite cricketer: Ben Stokes

Star performance: 104 and 6/12

What is the joy you get representing your school?

Representing my school is something I am passionate about. As captain, I take my role seriously and it’s always a great feeling when we win our school games.

I know the 50-over title is out of reach for Vishnu, but the school is showing form recently. How dangerous can Vishnu be in the T20 tournament?

I believe in my team and I think once we play good cricket and execute our plans it will definitely be a competitive competition.

What was the feeling like being called up for the Red Force senior team?

Being called to the Red Force senior team was a great feeling to know that I worked hard to make sure I performed well to have good scores against my name.

Did that call-up make you more hungry to succeed?

Yes, it definitely did and I think it shows in my scores so far for the season.

What are your goals as a cricketer?

I think all cricketers have goals that they try to work towards and making a Red Force team for me was one of them. It is definitely one step closer to my dreams of making a West Indies senior team and eventually CPL (Caribbean Premier League).

What do you think are your strengths as a cricketer?

Recently I have been working on myself mentally to know that when I go out to bat or bowl what is required of me. Trying to have patience is something else I have also been working on.

Name one or two people you get advice from. What do they tell you?

I get a lot of support from my parents and have a few people around me that are always giving advice and encouraging me, but one piece of advice that I get from my dad is be patient, take your time and try to think of all the possible outcomes before making a decision.