Robin Uthappa

In a recent conversation with The Times of India, 24 year old Robin Uthappa let know that he is seriously contemplating to don the role of an all time Wicketkeeper- batsman. Uthappa was recently sidelined from the selection for the squad at the ongoing Tour of Sri Lanka owing to a shoulder surgery.

A skillful and entertaining batsman to watch, Uthappa even on the toughest of batting surfaces has no qualms striding down the pitch to hammer the ball over the bowler’s heads to the stands. It is this sheer cockiness of his that sets him apart from the crowd. After being noticed by the Indian selectors in the 2006 Challenger Trophy where playing for India B, he cracked consecutive fifties against the India A attack, that included the likes of Zaheer Khan, R P Singh and Murali Kartik.

Uthappa made his mark in his very first International Outing against England at Indore in 2006, where he scored 86 only to fall victim to a careless run out. Though starting off in the early days of his career as an opening batsman, the team think tank decided to use Uthappa’s attacking attitude down the order and thus he was relegated to the job of a floater, forging quick partnerships with the lower order batsmen.

In the 2007 World Cup at West Indies Uthappa was badly injured in his right hand’s little finger. In order to gear up for his new stint as Wicketkeeper, the Karnataka lad has undergone a corrective surgery for this injury that he had been carrying since a long time.

Prior to the Zimbawe Tour where the selectors had picked a relatively new and untested squad, Uthappa was in contention for selection and was under special attention of the selectors but missed this golden opportunity owing to his shoulder surgery. He described the post surgery phase as one of immense pain where he had to be under narcotics to cut the pain.

Currently Uthappa is training at the NCA under former keeper Somasekhar Shiruguppi and will perform the duties of a gloveman at all State Level matches of limited overs. Royal Challengers Bangalore hasn’t named Mark Boucher in their 20 man squad for the upcoming Champions League T20, and if Uthappa manages a comeback by then he might be the next in keeping duty for RCB.

By:  Soubhik Ray

Tags: Cricket, Indian Sports, Robin Uthappa, Sports, Sports India