Narsingh Deonarine debuted for Guyana at the age of 17, following in the footsteps of his hero Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a man upon who he modeled his game. He possesses striking similarities to the veteran batsman, sharing his affinity for anti-glare patches and fielding at cover-point. However, the youngster has not been able to replicate Chanderpaul's success or his consistency in international cricket so far.

Deonarine first came into focus when after captaining the West Indies under 19 team in 2002, he slammed a well-made ton against the touring Australians in the following year. He was then drafted into the national side in a controversial manner in 2005, when their seven main players were ruled out of the Tests against South Africa following a contractual dispute. Sadly, once the big guns returned, he failed to hold his position in the team owing to mediocre performances.

While Deonarine stayed out of the main team, he kept up his performances on the domestic circuit. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2008/2009 season when he scored a total of 1068 runs. He returned to the West Indies Test team in November 2009 and performed well picking up 2 wickets and also registering his highest Test score of 82. He remained in and out of the squad after that. Against New Zealand in 2012, Deonarine picked up 4 wickets in the second innings of the second Test, troubling the NZ top-order as the visitors were eventually bowled out for 154. It was also his best bowling performance in Tests so far. He, however, enjoyed limited success in Tests after that stint. When West Indies toured India in November 2013, Deonarine was recalled in the Test squad for the second Test. His only claim to fame was dismissing Sachin Tendulkar in his 200th and final Test. He finished with 2 wickets in that game. His ODI career followed a similar path with no extraordinary performances to talk about.

He managed to get on the plane to New Zealand but came up short again, both with the bat and ball.

Deonarine's useful off-spin and sharp fielding have made him a star at domestic level but his sporadic performances at international level have prevented him from becoming a regular face in the national side. Unless, Deonarine produces some consistent performances, a permanent place in the team will always elude him.

by Sonali Dhulap
As of April 2013