The Hindu : Courage and commitment were his forte

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Courage and commitment were his forte

By Our Special Correspondent

A great trier and a team-man to the core, Robin Singh has announced his retirement.

CHENNAI, JAN. 24. "I would like to be remembered as the guy who went in there and gave it his best shot all the time, tried to win games for the country," said Robin Singh, officially announcing his retirement from international and domestic cricket during a press conference at Hotel Park Sheraton, here, on Saturday.

Robin represented India in 136 ODIs, scoring 2336 runs at 25.95, and capturing 69 wickets at an economy rate of 4.79. Figures do not tell the entire story about his contribution to the team though, for he often walked in at No. 6 or No. 7, and batted selflessly with a fair bit of courage and aggression thrown in.

His dashing left-handed batting, often effective seam bowling, and brilliant fielding served India well in the ODIs and he regularly delivered at the crunch. Robin also figured in a Test, against Zimbabwe in Harare, 1998-99, scoring 27 runs in two innings.

The spirited Robin, who captained Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, scored 6997 runs in 137 first class matches (ave. 46.03), apart from capturing 172 wickets at 35.97.

Now the coach of the Indian under-19 team and the director of the MAC Spin Foundation, the 40-year-old Robin said one of the great challenges before him would be to enable the youngsters make the transition from the junior to first class and subsequently international levels.

Robin, who represented five teams — Globe Trotters, Chemplast, India Pistons, SPIC and SICAL — in Chennai's first division league, thanked the corporate heads who had helped him during the various stages of his career.

He also thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya for his support.

The former Tamil Nadu captain made a special mention of M. Soundarrajan, whose Venkateswara Paper Board was the first team to offer him a chance to play league cricket, and India Pistons, that provided him with much moral support when he scripted an India comeback in 1996.

He remembered the help from his friends such as former cricketer and now a motor racing coach Akbar Ebrahim, and the late Kumar Kallappa.

He acknowledged the role of former India batsman Brijesh Patel in shaping his career early on.

Robin picked India's win over Pakistan during the 1998 Independence Cup ODI tournament in Dhaka — India successfully chased 314 — as his finest moment.

The Trinidad-born Robin travelled to India in the 80s for higher studies, and decided to make the country his home. He qualified to play cricket for India and was picked in the Indian team to the West Indies in 1988-89. Interestingly, he made his ODI debut in Trinidad, during that campaign.

He had to wait until 1996 before playing for India again. Robin, then 33, made a successful comeback during the Titan Cup ODI competition in '96, and was a regular member of the Indian side until 2001.

Asked to pick a defining moment in his career, Robin recalled India's tour of South Africa in 1996-97, when the then Indian coach (Madan Lal) told him before the ODI contest against Zimbabwe that this would be his last game. Robin produced a heroic knock in an adverse situation — the match ended in a tie — and went on to play many more matches.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cricket

India snatches a thrilling victory

Courage and commitment were his forte

Venkatesh shocks Marat

Erode makes the grade

Tennis

Double delight for Montinee

Debendra, Janani emerge champions

Billiards & Snooker

Sea change in Nationals on the horizon

Chess

Anand wins

Swimming

Karnataka dominates opening day

Volleyball

Chandigarh stuns Karnataka