A West Indian in Indian team? For Robin Singh it was a strange conflict but over the years he came to be regarded as an all-rounder of some standing in Indian cricket with his distinguished contribution. He left Trinidad and landed in Madras with a dream of playing for India. His forefathers had sought better life in the Caribbean and here was Robin, returning to his roots, to seek comforts of life by playing cricket.
“It was very difficult to make it to the West Indies team. I had captained the Trinidad youth team but I knew it was going to be tough. I was 17 and had to take a decision. To study and play cricket. I did both. Honestly I had no intention to play for India. I was not even an Indian citizen. I was fortunate to play University cricket early and within a year qualified to play for Tamil Nadu. Waited five years and became a naturalised Indian citizen,” recalled Robin, now a coach with Mumbai Indians.
In 1982, Robin, representing Trinidad (under-19), played against Maninder Singh, Chetan Sharma and L. Sivaramakrishnan at home in Barrackpore. Three years later he made his first-class debut in India to bowl alongside Sivaramakrishnan and travelled to the West Indies in 1989 as part of the Indian team. His ODI debut came at Port of Spain.
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“It was pretty electric. I got an ovation reserved for someone playing his 100th Test. I did not understand the magnitude of playing in that atmosphere then. For me, it was just another match even though the expectations were high. It was a wonderful learning experience of how things work in the Indian team. It was exciting to understand the system and playing actually was secondary. India is a diverse country and it reflected in the team. I experienced the Indian culture and habits and that tour helped me understand the environment,” Robin remembers those formative years in Indian cricket.
It took him seven more years to come to terms. On return he was dropped. His two ODIs hardly helped his cause. The domestic grind hardened him. “I stayed away from the politics and gradually came to be accepted. To win the support of the senior cricketers was the most important thing. It was important that I was spoken about outside my state. I knew I had to adapt to all formats and give standout performances to win back my place.”
Ironically labelled a one-day expert, Robin grew up playing mostly four-day cricket. “The one-day format was a bonus for me. The problem is in India you get tagged easily. Unfortunately, I ended up as a one-day expert. I was aggressive by nature, less calculative, always wanting to win, collectively and individually. It helped in the one-day format. I adapted quickly and as years went by a Test cap looked a distant dream.”
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His Test debut, at 35, came at Harare in a match that Zimbabwe won. Robin went wicketless and scored 15 and 12. It was quite insignificant really for someone as talented as him. “I could have done better. I didn’t bowl much. Would have enjoyed the Test at a younger age. But no regrets. The biggest thing was to play for India. I played a World Cup and more than 100 ODIs. Really, playing for India was my best moment.”
The Queen number “I want to break free” is his favourite and signifies his approach to life. His Tamil Nadu teammates always found him “very hard working and positive.” Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin struck a superb rapport with Robin since both shared the passion to improve their fielding. “A brilliant fielder and a very committed cricketer,” is how Azharuddin describes Robin.
Robin’s initial years were a story of struggle and determination. His made no impression on his debut against Kerala in 1985 at Chepauk, bowling six overs and not getting to bat. He went wicketless in his next five Ranji matches, was shockingly kept out for the 1986-87 season for inexplicable reasons by Tamil Nadu before making a huge impact in 1987-88 with a truly all-rounder exhibition of top quality.
He began with spells of five for 44 and six for 28 against Kerala that helped him establish his credentials and he just grew as a cricketer of potential with four centuries in the six matches. His maiden century (107 not out) came against Goa and was followed up by an unbeaten 101 against Hyderabad. A splendid 152 against Punjab swung the semi-final and he capped it with a 131 at number 6 in the final against Railways. Incidentally, that was the last time Tamil Nadu won the Ranji title.
Indian cricket, observes Robin, was more competitive in the 90s. “The T20 has propelled some careers but some of them would have found it difficult to fit in the teams of 90s. We dreaded failure and the value of what you did was much higher then. The intensity was higher. They play more cricket now but the standard overall was much higher when we played.”
Robin, who holds a Masters degree in Economics from Pachaiyappas College, slipped into the role of a coach after quitting active cricket in 2002. He was the fielding coach with the Indian team apart from coaching the under-19 and India ‘A’ teams. He has worked with Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu. They have all acknowledged Robin’s guidance at various stages of their career.
The 51-year-old Robin also assists United States Cricket and has been involved with different teams in T20 leagues in Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Barbados and Sri Lanka. He is a happy Indian now. He smiles, “Can’t speak Hindi much but can follow a Bollywood movie.” Not surprising. His favourite movie happens to be Lagaan .