Date:31/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/31/stories/2007103162952300.htm

Sport

He lets his deeds talk for him

Vijay Lokapally

— PHOTO: AFP

COMMITTED COMMANDER: Robin Singh has come in for praise for having moulded the Indians into a much-improved fielding outfit.

NEW DELHI: He has remained in the background, for many reasons, but Robin Singh’s work reflects in the improved performance of the team, not just in the area of fielding but in its overall attitude towards the game and the opposition. The self-belief factor is more pronounced than ever.

Not the one to make tall claims, the mild-mannered Robin, part of the cricket system in some role or the other for almost two decades now, believes in speaking through his work. Only recently, Jonty Rhodes had praised India as a very improved fielding side and not too far behind Australia and South Africa.

He understands the mindset of the young generation, having toiled with them on the junior circuit. Most players now breaking into international reckoning have been through the programmes set by Robin. Ideally suited to manage this bunch, he spoke to The Hindu ahead of the home series against Pakistan.

His impact on the team has been hailed by the players and critics alike and Robin remained optimistic. “Creating a position as “fielding coach” in itself is a wake up call to cricketers who took it for granted in the past. It is very early to talk in terms of an ‘impact’ but I think we are on an upward trend.”

He was forthcoming when listing the strong points of the team in terms of fielding. “Young legs in themselves are an asset; they are willing to throw themselves around, improve on their technique and can push themselves towards maintaining consistency. Contradictory as this may sound, I believe the boys are having fun and that fielding as such is being taken seriously and even the seniors have tried much harder.

Robin, with an experience of one Test and 136 ODIs, talked of specific fielding positions coming into vogue due to challenges arising from improved batting standards. He observed, “Working as a team of course we identify players for specific positions for all forms of the game. In spite of which, it demands that you be flexible due to the changing pace of the game and the varied oppositions that we face. Of course, in Test cricket a lot of emphasis is given to close in and slip fielding.”

Changed scenario

Fielding has gone through revolutionary changes from the time players would applaud the batsman before the ball is retrieved from the boundary. The challenges a fielder faces in today’s cricket have grown, what with Twenty20 adding brutal power to the game. Robin agreed, “In the Twenty20, for instance, the ball tends to come at you at greater speed, there are more high catches in the deep, so the players who normally field in the inner circle have to be much more alert and athletic with good balance and coordination. .”

Known to be a brilliant fielder himself, Robin, 44, rated India a decent fielding side. “Isn’t it apparent? I have been involved in the game in India for more than two decades and I do believe that the current team has the potential to become one of the finest ever fielding sides though I would love to have the likes of (Virender) Sehwag, (Mohammad) Kaif, Manoj (Tiwari) and (Suresh) Raina to work with.

On the general changes that have made cricket more challenging and more exciting, Robin noted, “It has become more unorthodox, or should I say, cricket today has more creative batting styles and fielding positions. Also no target is unattainable now and bowlers have to constantly expect the unexpected..”