'We still have a long way to go': UAE director of cricket Robin Singh stays focused after promising start

Former India all-rounder wants to raise the bar following victory in Western Region T20 in Oman

UAE team members after their win in the Western Region T20 in Oman. Courtesy Asian Cricket Council

Next month, Robin Singh will join up with the team that have the highest brand value in the sport’s most watched league.

In his role as batting coach for the Mumbai Indians, he will dole out advice to some of the sport’s most luminous stars, like Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock and Kieron Pollard.

The contrast to his new day job could scarcely have been more striking this week, as he oversaw UAE’s win in the Western Region T20 in Oman.

For a start, the gorgeous Oman Cricket Academy fields in the shadow of the Hajar Mountains are rather more roomy than the stands will be at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai once the IPL kicks off.

Rather than the millionaires of the IPL, many of the opposition players have to devote a full day to office jobs before they are able to attend cricket training.

Despite the altered perspectives, the former India all-rounder said he is enjoying his new assignment.

“I think it is a great challenge, and I look forward to the challenge,” Singh said, after UAE thrashed Kuwait by 102 runs in the final in Al Amerat.

“The guys are looking forward to putting in the effort. We are trying to see how we can play a lot more professionally.

“We want to get them to think a little differently, play some different cricket. There is a lot we can take out of this tournament.

“Going forward, it is no different from how I would want to train when I’ve been going for franchise cricket. I think that is the sort of benchmark we want to emulate.

“Those are the standards we want to set going forward if we want to compete with the bigger teams in world cricket.”

We are trying to see how we can play a lot more professionally

UAE entered the tournament in Oman as the highest-ranked side.

They lived up to their billing as they won all five of their matches, carrying off the title, and securing safe passage to the next phase of Asia Cup qualifying.

That will be at a four-team tournament in Malaysia in August. Win there, and the UAE will be through to the main Asia Cup playing against the likes of India and Pakistan – possibly on home soil.

“We still have a long way to go,” Singh said.

“There is a lot of work to be put in by most people. It is not just about this performance.

"We want to move forward and we want to set different standards for ourselves.

“This is just the start. We have a lot of areas to work on, and that is always the case.

“When you win, other teams want to beat you, and I think we need to step up again.”

Quite what impact Singh has had it difficult to discern, given he only had a couple of weeks' training with the side in the lead up to the series, and the squad itself was picked by his predecessor Dougie Brown.

However, Chirag Suri did suggest the new coach had provided some pointers that have already helped his game.

The opener was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, hitting three half-centuries, including 60 in the final which laid the platform for the hefty win over Kuwait.

“I was up front about what we need to do and what we need to work on,” Suri said about his first impressions of Singh.

“I was getting starts then getting out, and this is what we worked on mentally. More than skills wise, it was about the mental side of the game.

“The interactions I’ve had with him have put me in the right space of mind going into the middle.”

Singh was impressed by Suri’s returns with the bat.

“Chirag has been the fulcrum, and has batted well throughout the whole tournament,” Singh said.

“He gave us a good platform, and a few of the senior guys stepped up. Today I think almost everyone played their roles.

“It was the sort of final you would want to have.”