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By Valentino Singh |
Port of Spain, T&T, June 7: In an era when the middle-order batting boasted the likes of Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Richie Richardson, Larry Gomes, Gus Logie and Jeffrey Dujon, it is doubtful the childhood ambitions of Robin (born Rabindranath) Singh to represent the West Indies at cricket would have ever been fulfilled.
But his historical achievement of having been born in Trinidad and Tobago before migrating to India, where he later became a member of the Indian Test team which toured the Caribbean in 1988/89, is, in itself, a fairy tale of sorts.
His obvious talents ensured that he played for the Trinidad and Tobago youth team in 1981, leading them in the West Indies tournament.
And a single match for the senior team some time later, might have suggested that better things were ahead.
But more established players than the young allrounder from Lengua Village, South Trinidad, were finding it difficult to get on the West Indies team during an era when breathtaking batting and penetration fast bowli
ng
made the Caribbean unit one of the most feared team in the history
of the game.And Singh knew it would be difficult to earn selection. So when the then 21-year-old lad was invited by Ackbar Ibraham of the touring Hyderabad Blues team from India, to visit the homeland of his forefathers in 1984, he gleefully accepted.
Initially, he joined the Madras Cricket Club and later the Globe Trotters Sports Club.
It was when he started to represent Tamil Nadu that recognition came his way.
In 1988, Singh scored 555 runs for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy tournament. The performance which included four centuries guided the team to its first win in the competition in 33 years.
More importantly, Singh opened the eyes of the Indian selectors who were on the verge on selecting their team for the Caribbean. Having been neutralised as a citizen some time earlier and with his outstanding performances in the Ranji Trophy tournament, Singh earned his selection for the Caribbean.
His selection sent wild celebrations into the family home in the sugar cane district of Lengua, and left his parents Ramnarine and Savitri Singh hardly believing it had happened.
"We knew that his ambition was to play Test cricket, but it never occurred to us that he would do so for India," his father Ramnarine states.
Robin is the second son of the family and had always shown an aptitude for the game.
"He used to watch the Valley Boys team playing on the grounds behind our home and he always displayed a passion for the game," Ramnarine remembers.
"Sometimes, we found he spend too much time playing cricket but we never stopped him. He loved it and that was good enough for us."
Daddy Ramnarine explains that Robin wanted to try out for a cricket contract in India.
"We told him the only condition we would agree for him to visit India is if he took the chance and attended a University to help is academic qualifications. Once he agreed, everything else fell in place."
Today the family's home in Lengua is without their star child as Singh now lives in India with his Indian-born wife Sujata.
He plays cricket professionally in Scotland from April to August and returns to India to run his own business afterwards.
"All things considered, we believe that things were planned that way for him and that is how it had to be."