A Robson Premonition?

 

 

Cricket 2014

 

A Bad Day for the Indians

 

June 29^th 2014

 

The headline is not the one that the Indians would have liked to see “Robson punishes the Indians”. It was Sam Robson’s younger brother, Angus, but just as unwelcome. If it is a premonition, it will be a particularly unwelcome one. If the Indians had made light of a weak Leicestershire attack, Leicestershire simply laughed at the no fewer than ten bowlers pitted against them. As India fielded all their squad of eighteen at some point the game was not First Class, so Angus Robson missed out on a maiden First Class century, but he still softened-up the tourists for his big brother.

In the 152 overs that rain allowed, just five wickets fell and no fewer than four batsmen – two on each side – retired out. In the devastation, two Leicestershire batsmen accumulated just four runs between them, but Robson with 126 retired and Smith with 101 retired made sure that the Indians will not have left Grace Road with fond memories, although their bowlers did get a hard workout. Angus Robson’s innings suggests that there is more to come from the Robson brothers. Angus has passed 50 in six of his last twelve First Class innings and has reached 75 in five of those innings without quite reaching a century.

The vagaries of tour itineraries now sees the Indians going to struggling Derbyshire for their last warm-up before the Tests. No one could have imagined when the tour fixtures were arranged that Derbyshire would be finding life harder in Division 2 than they did in Division 1 last year, having so nearly escaped relegation with a late run. It is not exactly the hard run out that the side was hoping for but, with England struggling so badly, maybe they will not mind so much.