The last time Robin Uthappa played for India, he remained unbeaten on 18 in a rain-marred lone Twenty20 at the Wanderers Stadium at Johannesburg on March 30, 2012. India lost the match against South Africa by 11 runs based on the Duckworth-Lewis Method. It was a fleeting stint with the national team while Uthappa’s earlier chunk of games (38 ODIs, 786 runs) in the blue shade had concluded in 2008.
Subsequently, Uthappa worked hard, sought out Pravin Amre as his personal batting coach and added patience and a correct approach to his repertoire that otherwise largely hinged on aggression. Soon, the runs emerged, steadily at first (374 runs averaging 46.75 in the last Ranji season) and then it became a torrent as evident in the current Indian Premier League.
Uthappa (Kolkata Knight Riders), who is currently the leading run-scorer (655, average 46.78, strike-rate 137.60) in this season’s IPL, has found his reward — a call-up to the national team that will play three ODIs in Bangladesh in June. An excited Uthappa spoke about his comeback, opening slot and his overwhelming sense of self-belief.
Excerpts :
The Indian shade all over again: Frankly, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. For me it’s a great opportunity to go there and win matches for the country. I am looking forward to the series. I always knew I had the ability and game to make the comeback. I worked hard towards refining that game; plugged the gaps in my technique. There is a sense of determination and a sense of belief now.
Missing seniors and added pressure: As an opening batsman, you always have the responsibility of giving a good start to the innings at any level you play. That doesn’t change.
As I have been saying, this is a start for me as far as playing for India is concerned and I can’t wait to go out there and perform.
The opening gambit: The opening slot is where I feel most comfortable. When I told myself that I would come back as an opener two years ago, when the opening slot wasn’t free, it wasn’t a misplaced statement. I had the belief in my ability and I worked towards that patiently. Now it’s up to me to deliver to those expectations.
The Karnataka quotient: It’s been a while since we had so many (R. Vinay Kumar, Stuart Binny and Uthappa) from Karnataka in the Indian squad but of course you will see many more making it to the national team in the near future.
It speaks volumes about the talent we have in the State and our presence reflects our performance during the domestic season where we won three titles.
