IND vs ENG 2024: “Twinged his back while batting” – Brendon McCullum reveals why Ollie Robinson was low on pace

England head coach Brendon McCullum has revealed that Ollie Robinson twinged his back while batting in the first innings at Ranchi against India and thus he was low on pace. Robinson bowled below 130kmph and failed to trouble any Indian batter.

Robinson, who was left on the sidelines in the first three Test matches, replaced Mark Wood in the final XI. However, the right-arm pacer went wicketless through the whole game and failed to create any impact.

Robinson bowled 13 overs and conceded 54 runs in the first innings whereas he was not given the ball by Ben Stokes in the second essay as England skipper backed his spinners from the get-go. However, the 30-year-old from Kent scored 58 runs in the first innings and added a crucial alliance of 102 runs with Joe Root.

Brendon McCullum said in a press conference, “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.”

Meanwhile, McCullum suffered his first Test series loss as England’s head coach but he has played a key role in the success of the team since he has taken over the reins. The former New Zealand skipper feels this is not a bad time to be England’s coach.

“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 chiselling away at those rough edges. It’s not a bad time to be coach of the England team.”

The fifth and final Test match will be played at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala from March 7.