I thought I might never play for England again: Ollie Robinson

All hopes on Day 3 were pinned on Indian opener KL Rahul to see whether he will enable the visitors to take a big lead. He reached the expectations of everyone as he smacked a well-made 84-run knock. Some late fireworks from Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah made sure India get a handy lead of 95 runs. For England, James Anderson and Ollie Robinson were the key bowlers.

Pacer Robinson came back strongly on Day 3 and picked his career-best 5 for 85. The 27-year-old had to face a lot of backslash for his historic tweets posted as a teenager back in 2013. The England Cricket Board (ECB) suspended the pacer immediately and he didn’t play the second Test match against New Zealand. After a lot of deliberation, Robinson got a backdated suspension and he got to play the first Test against India.

The right-ram pacer didn’t disappoint and bowled well by picking up wickets at regular intervals. “There was a time when I was speaking with my lawyers and, we were looking at the fact I could be banned for a couple of years and never play for England again,” said Robinson at the close of Day 3 of the first Test against India.

“In a couple of years, I’d have turned 30 and, someone else might have come in and taken my spot. So there was definitely a time I had doubts over my career, but luckily it all came good today.”

Ollie Robinson on the support he received from his England mates

The pacer also spoke on how his mates supported him in the England team to help him come out of the incident as a better human being. Robinson is also seeking help by working with the Professional Cricketers’ Association by not trying to repeat the mistakes which he did as a teenager.

“Everyone at England was very good and, they did put their arm around me and help me through a tough situation,” said Robinson. “But obviously, it was important for me to show everyone I’m the real deal on the field and try and get the scrutiny off me.”