Robinson played a key role in the back-to-back five-match series and after impressive performances in the nets, England pulled the strings for the fourth Test in Ranchi. The choice did not bear fruit.
Despite opening the match with a maiden Test half-century, which helped lead England to a first innings total of 353, Robinson was disappointed with the ball. His average pace was in the late 70s mph – at one point, he dipped into the 60s – and his 76 Test wickets at 22.92 were nowhere near the level of incisiveness he provided. He bowled six no-balls, continuing a tough relationship with that frontline.
Robinson bowled just 13 overs in the match, all of them in the first innings, dropping Dhruv Jurrell for 59, which gave India 41 runs to spare in their reply. He then faded into the field and was not used in the second innings as England tried in vain to defend the target of 192 runs. It returned to action after about eight months.
Speaking after the match, Ben Stokes said Robinson was fit to bowl and the spinning track was the reason he was not used. But considering he has excelled on a variety of surfaces in the past, coupled with his self-proclaimed desire for the heat of battle, it felt as if the England captain had lost faith in the player as he snapped out of a funk. His first summer as Test captain.
McCullum, however, revealed that Robinson had injured himself while batting, which explained his listless spell with the ball: “He twisted his back while batting in the first innings, so in those opening couple of spells, his pace picked up to where it normally is the next day when he improved his back a bit.
The head coach went on to reassure Robinson, whose last competitive match was the third Ashes Test of the summer at Headingley – where his involvement was cut short by a back spasm – but failed to explain how such a well-planned selection backfired.
“I don’t think it’s too soon, it’s been seven months since his last Test, so if anything, it’s probably too long,” McCullum said. “Everything he led into the Test match suggested that we should see a better version of the Ally Robinson we’ve seen before.
“For one reason or another it didn’t quite work out for him and obviously he’s not as disappointed as everybody else, he’s more disappointed than anybody. Our job is to make sure we get around him and make sure we give him that. Is there enough support and confidence to be able to go again next time?
Amidst a sea of multi-year center deals, Robinson’s 12-month deal was aimed at motivating him to show he’s worth the long-term investment next cycle. Now the player who was supposed to replace Stuart Broad – despite having usurped Broad’s first 18 months as a Test cricketer – could be seen further down the pecking order despite McCullum advising him to keep his faith.
“It’s been a tough game for him and he’s hurting a lot. We’ve all seen Robbo bowl better than he’s done and he’ll be the first to admit that. We’ve got to go around him and make sure. He’ll iron out some things that didn’t work well this week, we know he’s a good bowler and he’s got talent. We want to make sure you have it.
“We know how skilled he is and his high release point and ability to move the ball down the seam and the skills he has are good enough for this level. We just have to make sure we find a way to get that. Good from him.”
England is not flawless. He knows that as a bowler, especially considering the long gap between performances, he needs overs to stay fit.
The tourists opted against practice and indulged in a very positive pre-season camp in Abu Dhabi. But in hindsight, it would have been beneficial for Robinson to get the time in the middle that could have come with the England Lions. Their third match against India A in Ahmedabad began the day before the second Test, in which James Anderson played solo in a spin-heavy attack.
Management disappeared before the tour when Robinson announced a new podcast with his partner Mia Baker, a golf influencer. The pair recorded episodes throughout the tour and, although largely innocuous, England, who have creative control over the extracurricular activities of their contracted players, were angered by some things, particularly when Robinson mentioned the ECB had initially made an error in his visa application. The revelation came as the governing body scrambled to resolve Shoaib Bashir’s visa issue, which resulted in the Somerset offspinner arriving a week late and missing the first Test.
In episode six, released this week, Robinson discusses the team’s mid-series break in Abu Dhabi, which has since been removed.
It remains to be seen whether Robinson will play the fifth Test in Dharamsala. While England are likely to stick with Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley, with Anderson two away from 700 career wickets, more favorable conditions for Seam suggest he could get a shot at redemption.
“Yes, he is going to play his 100th Test. We expect a good Johnny. Even Johnny likes a milestone. He doesn’t shy away from it. He plays. It will be really emotional for him.
“Everyone knows Johnny’s story and as you know he’s a pretty emotional character at times and big milestones like that mean a lot to him. It’s going to be a really emotional time for him and we look forward to sharing that with him.”
Most of the team left for Bangalore on Tuesday morning to get their golf fix. A small group – including Stokes – will head to a resort in Chandigarh on Wednesday, with only one concrete plan, a film trip Mound 2. They will meet again next Monday in the foothills of the Himalayas before the start of the Test, which concludes on March 7.
McCullum hopes this is the start of a new, more ruthless chapter for his charges as England look to settle for a 3-2 scoreline. Having spurned chances in the Ashes and now here again, it’s time to learn from those mistakes.
“We weren’t good enough when it mattered – or to be honest, they were better than we weren’t good enough. Against Australia, we had our chances and couldn’t get over the line. I think we’re still a better cricket team this season.
“There are times in games where we still haven’t completely nailed our approach. I still think sometimes we’re out of touch with what to do in that moment…or we have too much noise in our minds, so we have to find a way to really be fully present when those times come, that it’s a critical moment in the game. Identify, and try and remove all the extraneous stuff and just make a decision and execute it.
“If we do that, I think we’ll see this team go to the next level. We’re going well. We lost this series and we didn’t win the Ashes – but we’re a good cricket team. We’ve had 18 months behind us and we’ve got some special work to do in the next 18 months. There is a chance.
Vithushan Ehantarajah is an Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo