Ollie Robinson is at a crossroads in a curious career and, by going unused throughout England’s fourth innings push for victory, he completed a baffling return to Test cricket eight months after limping out of the Ashes.
Ben Stokes on the eve of 4th Test at Ranchi added Ollie Robinson to the squad giving rest to ace pacer Mark Wood citing that the tall lanky pacer Ollie Robinson would extract bounce from a tricky wicket at Ranchi.
Ollie Robinson barring his 58 in first innings fails to deliver at Ranchi.
The Ranchi Test was Ollie Robinson’s first international appearance since the third Test of Ashes 2024 in Headingly, Leeds. The tall pacer was also not considered for the first three Tests of the ongoing series, with England preferring James Anderson and Mark Wood. Ben Stokes hailed Robinson’s bowling ahead of the fourth Test, but the player’s most significant contribution came with the bat. Robinson scored 58 runs in the first innings, sharing a critical partnership with Joe Root to push England’s total well above 300.
Ollie Robinson’s bowling in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi, where the right-arm pacer went wicketless was the high talking point . Notably, Robinson could not take a single wicket in the first innings and was not even given the ball in the final innings as India won the series with one game to spare. This poor performance from Ollie Robinson irked the likes of Former English experts and cricketers who questioned Ollie Robinson’s place in the playing 11.
It was a match to forget for Ollie Robinson in Ranchi. Playing his first match of the India vs England Test series, not only did his team lose the series, but the pacer ended the match with the worst figures of any bowler and wasn’t even given a go in the second innings. Ollie Robinson faced heavy criticism from English fans and experts, who bashed him for bowling at low 120s. The 30-year-old, who is more than a decade younger than James Anderson, was bowling at times 10 kilometers slower than the veteran pacer.
England coach Brendon McCullum has defended his player after his forgetful outing. The Kiwi coach claimed that the person who is most disappointed by his performance is Robinson himself.
Ace England coach Brendon McCullum reveals the reason behind Ollie Robinson’s failure in 4th Test at Ranchi
England head coach Brendon McCullum has said that no one is as disappointed as Ollie Robinson due to his underwhelming performance in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi. McCullum revealed that batting affected the right-arm seamer’s back, forcing him to bowl at a lower pace.
Robinson, recalled for Mark Wood for the Ranchi Test, struggled to bowl at a good pace and failed to make a breakthrough. The right-arm seamer went wicketless in the only innings he bowled and Ben Stokes did not use him in the second dig.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McCullum hoped to see a stronger Robinson in Ranchi and revealed how the Sussex cricketer felt most disappointed. However, the former Kiwi skipper is ready to be persistent.
“Everything he did leading into the Test match suggested we’d see not just the Ollie Robinson we’d seen previously but a better version of it. For one reason or another it didn’t quite work out for him. Obviously he’s not just as disappointed as everyone else, he’s the most disappointed out of everyone.
“He actually twinged his back while batting, which is why in those initial couple of spells he was down on pace. It’s a tough game for him, no doubt, and he’s hurting a lot. We’ve just got to make sure we find a way to get the best out of him.”
Despite England falling behind 3-1 in the series, McCullum believes they have made progress and is optimistic of improving more in the next 18 months. The former keeper-batter added:
“There’s times in games where we haven’t quite screwed down our method just yet. We’ve lost here, didn’t win the Ashes, but we’re a better team than 18 months ago and we’ve got an opportunity in the next 18 months to do some special shit. We’ll keep chiseling away at those rough edges. It’s not a bad time to be coach of the England team.”
The fifth and final Test begins on March 7 in Dharamsala. However much to the promise Ben Stokes and his team failed to deliver as India went on to win the Ranchi Test to take unassailable 3-1 lead over England heading into Dharamshala for the fifth and final test. This loss means that Ben Stokes and his team will now return from Indian shores empty handed and only has to play for World Championship Points in the last test of the series.