A nimble, Chaplinesque right-hander, Ramnaresh Sarwan was brought up in the South American rainforest around the Essequibo River. After his first Test innings, 84 not out against Pakistan, Ted Dexter was moved to predict a Test average of more than 50 - quite a millstone to hang around any young player's neck. But on his first tour, to England in 2000, Sarwan lived up to the hype by topping the averages. His footwork, which seemed to require no early trigger movements, was strikingly confident and precise.

It was a surprise when he then produced a horror run of three runs in five innings in Australia, but against India in 2001-02 he was back to his composed best. Sarwan, who took over as Brian Lara's vice-captain in March 2003, required 28 matches and 49 innings to post his maiden Test century - 119 in December 2002 - and even then it came against the less-than-mighty Bangladeshis. As the likes of Graham Gooch and Steve Waugh can testify, the first time is often the hardest.

A dream series against South Africa in 2003-04, where he averaged nearly 100 runs a Test, was followed by a lean run against England. But he returned to form in a stunning manner with an unbeaten 261 against Bangladesh in June. Then came an England tour in 2004 where he began and ended the tour on a low note, but was prolific in the middle. However, West Indian fortunes were on the ascendancy in one-dayers, as they reached the finals of the NatWest Series and then won the ICC Champions Trophy with Sarwan playing a big hand in both tournaments.

Sarwan was one of the players involved in a contract dispute with WICB and missed the first Test against South Africa in 2005. On his return he scored attractive runs, but was again overlooked for the captaincy when it was handed back to Brian Lara.

He didn't fare well with the bat in the 2006-07 season, averaging just 25.90 in 13 games he played till the end of the Champions Trophy. It was still a shock when he was dropped from the second Test against Pakistan in the away series in November. He returned for the third Test and sustained a foot injury which kept him out of the one-dayers against Pakistan and the tour of India.

Finally, the West Indies captaincy came his way following Lara's retirement. It wasn't exactly a field full of promising candidates as West Indies cricket yearned for true leadership. Injuries limited his appearances in 2007, and a friendly captaincy competition between Sarwan and Gayle continued with both players publicly supporting one another. Sarwan was Gayle's deputy on his return to the side in 2008 for the home series against Sri Lanka but the demotion did not affect his output, and he made three half-centuries and a hundred in the two Tests.

In the 2009 home series against England, Sarwan recorded his personal best of 291 in the first innings of the fourth Test, equalling the highest score for the West Indies made by Sir Vivian Richards. He scored his 15th Test century against England at Chester-le-Street in May of the same year but West Indies lost the series 2-0.

The following year, Sarwan lost his central contract in 2010, subsequently winning damages from the West Indies Cricket Board over comments made about his attitude and fitness. He played his last Test against India in Bridgetown in July 2011.

Having fallen out of international favour, he signed for English county Leicestershire for the 2012 English season and enjoyed noteworthy success in a struggling side, scoring two centuries in the Championship, another two in 40-over matches and falling short of 1,000 first-class runs largely because injury caused him to miss two matches. He agreed to return as four-day captain in 2013.

West Indies recalled him for the first time in 18 months for the limited overs side that toured Australia in early 2013, although it was an inauspicious return. He was out without scoring in each of the first two ODIs and omitted after the third, in which he made 12. Australia won the series 5-0.

ESPNcricinfo staff - February 2013

• May 18-22, 2000
  A memorable debut
  • In the absence of Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan makes his debut at No.6 and shepherds West Indies with a gritty, unbeaten 84 against Pakistan. Coming after Wavell Hinds' maiden ton in his fourth Test, Sarwan's performance provides a glimpse of the future of West Indies' batting.
    
• January 2-6, 2001
  A tough time down under
  • Is found out during the Test series in Australia, mustering a scoring sequence of 0,0,2,1,0 in five innings before managing a 51 in the second dig in Sydney, as the visitors crash to a 5-0 hammering.
    
• November 13-17, 2001
  Warming up to one-drop
  • Anchors the West Indies innings at No.3, scoring 88 against Murali and co. in Galle. Supports Brian Lara who makes 178, but cannot stave off defeat. Goes on to score 318 runs in the series, in the process solving West Indies one-drop woes.
    
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• May 2-5, 2002
  A crucial sixty
  • Resists a desperate Indian attack to score 60 and rescue West Indies from 35 for 2, and set them up for a huge lead in Bridgetown. After Sarwan defies the new ball, the hosts' middle order roar to put India out of the match and draw level in the five-Test series. Scored another important 65 in the decider in Kingston, giving West Indie a hard-fought series win.
    
• November 15, 2002
  The elusive ton
  • Finishes 99 not out as the West Indies innings closes in Ahmedabad. The innings defines Sarwan's career so far - a series of nearly achieved tons. Finishes the series, a closely contested 4-3 win for the visitors, with scores of 83*, 39*, 84, 34, 14 and 83, to go with Ahmedabad. The most memorable of those was the last-ball thriller in the first match in Jamshedpur, where he smashes Ajit Agarkar to the fence to seal an improbable win.
    
• December 2, 2002
  Elusive, no more
  • Ends the long wait for three-figures, but only just - scores an unbeaten 102 before the end of 50 overs in a Dhaka ODI and follows it up with a maiden Test hundred at the same venue soon after.
    
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• May 9-13, 2003
  The defining performance
  • Etches his name in the history books, top-scoring with 105 as West Indies chased 418 - the then record for the highest successful fourth-innings heist - to win a thriller that simmered all the way. Sarwan's heated exchange with Glenn Mcgrath, if not the most memorable, is surely the most unforgettable memory from Antigua.
    
• December 12 - January 20, 2004
  Boy on the burning deck
  • Scores 392 runs in four Tests against South Africa, including two fine hundreds, but cannot avert a 0-3 humbling as the agony ended in in Centurion.
    
• May 5, 2004
  A ton that did not win
  • In the decider of the ODI series against England, scores a polished unbeaten 104, but West Indies cannot win, and the series is shared 2-2 after some rain-outs at the start.
    
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• May 12, 2004
  The top job beckons
  • Is appointed captain of the West Indies side to take on Bangladesh in an ODI series. Indicates the high regard and faith that the WICB has for someone so young in the game.
    
• June 4-7, 2004
  An epic against the minnows
  • Scores an unbeaten 261 against the hapless Bangladesh attack in Gros Islet, an innings that gave his side victory, and him both, the match and series awards.
    
• July 6, 2004
  Chasing with aplomb
  • Scores a polished, unbeaten 78-ball 89 against England while Chris Gayle makes 132 and helps West Indies chase down 286 at Lord's.
    
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• July 29 - August 1, 2004
  A hundred in vain
  • Canes 25 fours in an attractive 139 in the first innings at Edgbaston, but cannot prevent defeat, by a whopping margin.
    
• September 18,19, 2004
  A memorable triumph
  • Smashes three sixes in a display of controlled aggression that fetches 75 important runs as West Indies upstage the more fancied South Africa in a Champions Trophy group fixture. Follows it up with a crucial 56 that seals a low-scorer for the West Indies in the semi-final against Pakistan. West Indies go on to win their first piece of ICC silverware since the heady World Cup wins of 1975 and 1979.
    
• April 8-12, 2005
  Personal glory in defeats
  • Scores two classy hundreds in Trinidad and Antigua, but cannot stop South Africa from claiming the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy.
    
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• August 10, 2007
  Going after the coach
  • Criticises Bennett King, who coached West Indies during their disastrous World Cup campaign at home. The outburst, coming from someone touted to take over the reins of leading the country, proves that all is not well with West Indies cricket.
    
• March 22-26, 2008
  Shining in defeat… and victory
  • Shines in both innings but cannot prevent defeat against Sri Lanka, by 121 runs, in Providence. Turns the tables on the tourists in Trinidiad, hitting an important fifty in the first innings and a crucial hundred in the fourth innings to make a tricky chase look unbelievably easy. Is adjudged Man of the Series.
    
• January 3, 2009
  Another tense finish
  • Anchors yet another tight chase, this time against New Zealand in Christchurch. His unbeaten 67 seals victory with one ball to spare. It is a role Sarwan had perfected during the course of his career, without getting enough credit, but this time he is the unanimous Man of the Match.
    
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• February 4-7, 2009
  Setting up a memorable win
  • Top-scores with 107 in Jerome Taylor's Test match. Sarwan's contribution of 107 gives West Indies a 74-run lead in the first innings, a lead that appears much larger as Taylor routs England for 51.
    
• February 26 - March 2, 2009
  The magnum opus
  • After Taylor's burst in the first Test, West Indies do well to draw the remaining matches, some of them cliff-hangers, to take the series. Sarwan scores a massive 626 runs in his Man-of-the-Series performance, and reaches his peak in Barbados where he hits a career-best 291.
    
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