Getting dropped was blessing in disguise - Ramdin

Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has said being dropped from the West Indies squad could be a "blessing in disguise" for him. Ramdin was overlooked for the tri-series in Canada in August and the Champions Trophy, now postponed to October 2009.

"My confidence is a bit low," Ramdin, who is part of Trinidad and Tobago's squad for the Stanford Super Series, told the Trinidad Express. "It is good for me to remember the past and the good things I did." Since January 2007, Ramdin has averaged 14.11 with only one half-century from 33 ODIs.

"In the batting department, I have been doing a lot of net work and a lot of mental work as well," Ramdin said. "I have been batting for longer periods in the nets and hopefully that can help me in the four-day game next season. We [in the West Indies team] have learned a lot in the past couple of years under the West Indies coaches and playing against other international teams, seeing how they train, and how they compete on and off the field. Now is the time for me to take that into my own game and put it into practice."

Ramdin said he was planning concentrate on the domestic tournaments in order to catch the selectors' eye and was optimistic of being picked for the tour of New Zealand in December. Last season T&T met Jamaica in the domestic finals of all three formats but only managed to win the Stanford 20/20.

"A lot of the younger guys look up to me when I play for my club Preysal and in the national squad. Hopefully, the experience of playing international cricket and coming back down to this level will help raise the level of cricket."