Once branded as a limited-overs specialist, Robin Uthappa, nick-named the ‘Walking Assassin’, for that gumptious stroll down the pitch, has changed tracks, picking solid instead of swashbuckling. He now flaunts a controlled approach, improved technique, tailor-made for the longer version of the game.
Uthappa, who after missing six of the nine Ranji Trophy matches this season due to a ruptured hamstring tendon, cracked a crucial 100 in Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal win over Uttar Pradesh last week.
His four-hour stand and a century-run partnership with Karun Nair propelled Karnataka from a humiliating 15 for three to a position of dominance.
After scoring oodles of runs including a triple hundred in the Shafi Darashah, he struck a century for India ‘A’ against New Zealand ‘A’ in Vizag in September last year.
Uthappa then battled crippling cramps to score 86 against Vidharbha in his first Ranji Trophy match of the season. He followed that up with a 33, batting for two hours, against Orissa.
The 29-year-old took tough decisions, changing his attitude and lifestyle in a bid to give fresh life to his career. The Kodava moved out of his parents’ home – father Venu Uthappa, a hockey referee, and mother Roselyn – to live on his own and focus on his game. He also hired a personal coach Praveen Amre, a former India Test cricketer, to help him tighten his technique.
“I isolated myself from the people I knew, I worked on my fitness and lost 20 kilos. With Amre I went through an unlearning and learning process, to me, that is quite an achievement,” Uthappa said.
The 28-year-old Air India employee made Mumbai his training base. He has even rented out a flat in the suburbs to aide his training regimen.
He pays Rs 15,000-a day to train at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s indoor academy in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
His stroll to stardom was however full of hurdles. As a kid, Uthappa had to overcome epilepsy, the medications for which made him overweight. Despite the baggage he was a prolific scorer at the inter-school level, playing for St Joseph’s Boys High School.
Uthappa made a memorable ODI debut with a stroke-full 86 against England in Indore. The following year, he played a stellar role in India’s World T20 triumph, becoming India’s first half-centurion in T20 when he made 39-ball 50 against Pakistan at Durban.
Thereafter, the Bangalorean, the forgotten man of Indian cricket, continued to state his case in the shorter versions of the game. He was then bought for a whopping $2.1 million by the now-defunct IPL team Pune Warriors. His last international appearance was in the rain-affected T20 game in South Africa in March 2012.
The stylish Bangalorean is looking to return to the national team. “I believe I’m close to getting a national call-up,” said Uthappa, who has also started a food and garments business, “I think everyone has seen the change in me, attitude and approach.”
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> Interviews> Air India / by Sunil Subbaiah, TNN / January 20th, 2014
