Jacob Martin rages against the dying of the light

But Martin doesn’t appear too put out. In the post-monsoon verdant environs of Vadodara’s Motibaug ground, in the shade of its biggest and most famous banyan tree beyond the long-on boundary from under which the maharajas watched the matches in the past, he contemplates his future.

The hunger is intact, for two reasons: he sorely misses the high-flying, on-the-house lifestyle of Team India, and feels the need to clear his name. And the confidence comes from the belief that another shot is written in his fate lines.

Perhaps deep down inside he knows that, at 32, it’s this coming season or never; the time to go full blast in the Ranji Trophy starting next month is now.

The booze charges? Forget them. ‘‘It cannot affect my game or morale because I was not drinking and I’ve never drunk alcohol, even out of Gujarat. But I will fight it out. It has made my will stronger to perform better this season, I will go all out to get a couple of big hundreds and try to catch the selectors’ eyes again.’’

About time, too; he’s not getting any younger, nor is the competition getting any thinner. He’s also a bit disappointed that he did not get the right type of chances whenever he played for India. ‘‘I would come lower down the order with maybe 5 or 8 or 10 balls to go and in that much time I could hardly show my full potential or really settle down and get my confidence. Once or twice when I was sent up the order I got 30s or 40s but unfortunately could not convert them into half-centuries. That could be a reason why Yuvraj (Singh) also is now saying that he wants to open the innings.’’

If there’s one thing he misses more than the on-filed stuff, it’s the extras, the benefits — mental and material — attached with being a top-flight Indian cricketer. ‘‘Being in the Indian team is like being in a totally different zone. We used to enjoy ourselves so much after the matches in the dressing rooms, there was always someone — a physio, a trainer, a coach — trying to push you to the limits of your potential. There were senior players — Sachin, Rahul, Sourav — who would constantly give you tips on improving your batting. I learnt so much from watching Sachin’s batting and I admired him the most because he would always keep giving me most of the tips.’’

The material perks also add up. ‘‘All your needs are taken care of, everything is like on the house. And besides, you know there are crores of people watching you on TV, which is a great source of motivation. Out here, you have to fend for yourself, there’s no one to push you so much, to goad you to do your best. It’s like you’re a nobody, and you could slip into complacency.’’

At 31 does he think he has a realistic chance of making a comeback, especially with the competition getting more cutthroat by the day?

‘‘Age has got nothing to do with it. I played my junior cricket with Rahul, Sachin and Sourav. I feel if they can still play so well, why can’t I? What matters is fitness. I have had to struggle for everything in life but I feel nobody can alter your fate. And I feel deep in my heart that I will get another chance.’’