It took Robindra 'Robin" Ramnarayan Singh all of 14 years to make this journey.
But 33-year-old Robin Singh is not the one to dwell on past actions. As the Indian team takes on the West Indies, Robin, who grew up in Trinidad, is looking forward to a second homecoming.
Cricket came naturally to Robin as it does to countless other Caribean islanders. He started playing at seven for Cowen Hamilton, his school in Trinidad. So fluent was his bowling action even as a schoolboy that he would be called upon to open the bowling for his school. Bowling remained his forte and he made it to the South and Central Trinidad team purely on the merit of his deadly and accurate bowling. He played for them from 1980 to 1984.
As a frontline bowler who could carry his bat through the innings Robin was in a position to take claim for an opening in the West Indies team. But a quirk of fate brought him to India.
It was Akbar Ibrahim, a Chennai based cricketer, who spotted Robin. Akbar was a member of the Hyderabad Blues, it was composed of promising Ranji players who were on the verge of making it to the national team."
Akbar, a free-stroking batsman in his heyday, faced Robin twice when the Blues took on the Trinidad side. Impressed by the right-arm medium pacer, he sought him out after their match and spoke him. The talk soon drifted to Robin's career. both players knew that the probability of Robin making it to the West Indian side was low.
That was when Akbar made Robin an unbeatable offer inviting him to Chennai to try his luck in India. The same year Robin moved to Chennai and Akbar arranged for him to play for the MCC. Over time Robin, who had enrolled at the local from bowling to batting but still turned up at his usual seven down position.
The MCC is not a professional league and money was not forthcoming, so Robin started looking around for greener pastures. Brijesh Patel, who was then playing for Venkateshwara Paper and Boards, saw promise in the young Robin and promptly offered him a place in the team. Robin played for the company for three years before moving to MRF.
Robin's rise in the domestic circuit has been phenomenal. He has been the Tamil Nadu skipper since he took over from the W.V. Raman in 1995-96. A prolific batsman he has 14 centuries in the Ranji Trophy and six in Duleep Trophy to his credit.
It is not as if he was never noticed. He was first picked for the West Indies tour in 1989. Robin made his one-day International debut in Trinidad during that tour. It was not a tour he would want to remember having scored just 3 runs and bowled one over.
Last September, Robin joined India Pistons and things have looked up ever since. He got his much awaited recall to the national side that was playing the Titan Cup. When the news reached him he had precious little time left to make it to Mohali for the one-dayer against Australia.
But the spirited cricketer made it using three different modes of transport-air, train and bus. At Mohali it was his sill with the ball instead of the willow that won him praise. he took two wickets in two overs to change the complexion of the game and set the stands afire with his lighting moves while fielding.
Later when he was specially flown in to boost the Indian side that would take on South Africa and Zimbabwe, he failed to click in his first match against the Proteas at Springbok Park. But Robin had hardly got a chance to bat at the nets and he showed how much of a fast learner he was.
In the very next match against Zimbabwe at Paarl he scored a patient 48 to effect a tie and after that made an unbeaten 38 off 29 balls to steer India to a creditable win over Zimbabwe at Centurion Park.
Here was player who had transformed Indian fielding; his presence in the 30-yard circle gave added strength to the Indian attack. his pinch-hitting prowess-ably demonstrated at Centurion park-put him in the same league as Jadeja.
Yet, why was he ignored all this while even as fielding in the Indian side plumbed new depths? That is something the selectors should find out for themselves. meanwhile life has turned a full circle for Robin. Back in the West Indies with his Tamil wife Sujatha, it will be a familiar setting for him. Only this time it will be different in the spectator stands.
His Trinidad-based parents Ramnarayan Singh and Savithri and brother Rajender will be jostling with his school chums in the stands to cheer him, for the second time.
The 5-feet 8-inch cricketers feels most comfortable with a 1.2 kg bat with which he can swat balls out of the field. he dislikes chocolates but loves to gorge on fruits, and as far as Indian cuisine is concerned it is the everyday typical rasam that he would love to have.
His agility on the field has everybody wondering what he does to keep fit. "Nothing special," he said "I just play cricket all year round. That keeps me fit."
If it is not domestic tournament or his company it was in English league that kept him occupied. Robin has been playing for Edinburgh, Scotland, for the past three years.
Rated one of the sharpest fielders in the side today, Robin Singh's scarred elbows bear testimony to his skidding saves that has become the hallmark of his fielding. "Fielding at the forward short leg position without a helmet is more dangerous than facing a fast bowler without protective gear," says Robin. Dangerous, yes, but deterred, hardly. That is to the way Robin plays his cricket. ' Yeah, I have a few scars to show but the ideal things would be to come out on top in every game."
If anybody deserves rich praise it is Robin but it is not encomiums that the tough all-rounder is looking for. As he has proved so ably tough times do not last, tough guys do.