Uthappa eager to make a mark

Robin Uthappa celebrated his recall to the Indian side saying it gives him the opportunity to “express” his cricketing skills.

The gritty Karnataka batsman, who is making his international T20 comeback after more than three-and-a-half years, said the absence from the Indian side had steeled his resolve to settle down to one batting position.

“It is one of the opportunities to go out there and express myself as a cricketer. That's what I am looking forward to do,” Uthappa said after the Indian team practice on Friday.

“I have decided to stick to one batting position. I started off as an opener and played in all the positions in the next 38 matches I played. I prefer opening the batting and hopefully will be doing the same,” he said.

Uthappa said he was enjoying his batting and there was no pressure to perform. “There is freedom to perform, more than pressure to perform. It's just one game, so I want to go there and enjoy myself,” the 25-year-old said.

About the Eden Gardens wicket Uthappa said, the practice pitch gave an indication of a slow wicket, but the centre-pitch, where the match against England is to be played, would behave better. “The practice wicket seems really slow. I was told the centre wicket is not as slow. I hope it will be a good one,” he said.

England captain Graeme Swann devoted much of the news conference dispelling speculations about his relationship with star batsman Kevin Pietersen.

“My relationship with KP is the same, it's fine. I am afraid people churned out stories that did not exist,” he said.

Swann, whose references to Kevin Pietersen in his recent autobiography, The Breaks Are Off raised a storm, said he had not tried to make any “character assassination of anyone”.

“People who have read the book must have noticed that it was not a character assassination on anybody. It was an opinion of mine some years ago. Some people chose that for a headline of me slamming (Pietersen),” he said.