I Can Set Up Games For India To Win: Uthappa

Back in the Indian one-day international side after a gap of six years, Robin Uthappa has vowed to excel in the blue jersey on the three-match tour of Bangladesh. The highest scorer in the seventh edition of Indian Premier League, Uthappa feels playing for India is an opportunity to start all over again.

"I am very excited. It means a lot to me that I'm playing for the country again. It makes me extremely proud that I am able to do what I love doing at the highest level. But I just see this as an opportunity. I cannot sit back and I say I have made it now. It is an opportunity to start all over again," Uthappa told ESPNCricinfo in an interview on Tuesday.

He last played an ODI for India way back in July 2008 in the Asia Cup final, where he batted in the middle order. Uthappa, who opens the batting for Karnataka in domestic cricket, batted in the middle order in the initial stages of this year's IPL. However, with that ploy not working, Uthappa was promoted to open, a move that triggered KKR's victory bid. The right-hander believes not much will change in the fifty-over format once he faces Bangladesh.

"Winning the treble with Karnataka gave me a massive understanding of what I need to do in terms of being able to perform my role to the best of my ability. I am very certain about my role as an opening batsman, because I do it day in, day out throughout the season for Karnataka. So it is just a matter of repeating the same process at a different level," he said.

Out of the 38 ODIs he played for India, he opened the batting on 13 occasions and registered three of his five career half-centuries including an 86 on debut against England at that position. The 28-year-old now has a fresh desire to help India win matches.

"I know that if I stick to what works for me, I will be successful. I need to stay in the present. I need to make sure that I focus on the most important thing: to play on the merit of the ball. If I can do that, the scores will come. I am pretty confident that I can perform the role of an opening batsman to my fullest potential. I believe that I can set up games for India to win. Winning games for India is what I want to do. That is an intense desire," he said.

For India's 2007 T20 World Cup winner, becoming IPL 7's Orange Cap holder with 660 runs wasn't an easy job. He had to bat through pain after suffering a toe niggle when he was hurt in the nets midway through the season. Uthappa explains his agony and how he came out of it.

"Two days before the Mumbai match in Cuttack, I was hit flush on my left big toe by a yorker-length delivery from Pat Cummins. Later, when I removed my shoe I had a broken nail and it was bleeding profusely. Our physiotherapist Andrew Leipus gave me some painkillers. I was positive about playing the match considering we had to win it. But on match day, when I reached the ground, I realised I could not even get a sock on easily, let alone a shoe.

I am a UK size 10, so Andrew suggested I try a bigger size. I tried one size bigger but that too was not going in. Then I tried Morne Morkel's size 12. But I was feeling uncomfortable in them. Andrew suggested I wear something with an open toe to take the pressure off. Jacques Kallis had his bowling boots, which were size 11. Andrew built a nice, thick protection cap over the cut part of the shoe to provide a good cushion. Fortunately we bowled first and it gave me little more time to adjust to the shoe. I finished with the Man-of-the-Match award with an 80. I thanked Kallis and played in them till the qualifier," he said.

Uthappa says that his coach Pravin Amre played a big role in helping him correct his game, which was visible in the IPL where he hit 74 fours and comparatively lower number of sixes (18). "Amre Sir has always taught me that if I had the right technique, the end result would be good. The initial part of our training was a lot about making sure that my initial movements were correct, my set-up was correct, the way I picked up the bat, the way the backlift was, the way the downswing was. When all of that is proper, 60-70% of your work is done. The rest is about getting your head into position, holding that position well and playing the ball late into the gaps.

"Very early in our training, I remember telling Sir immediately after hitting a fluent cover drive that I have hit so many sixes in my life but this shot I just hit I would never forget. I hit it so sweetly. He told me not to worry because I would do it more often. It is just a feel, more like a sensation. As a result, every shot in the V past the bowler on both sides has improved," he explained.

Looking ahead, Uthappa also hopes he can make it to the 2015 World Cup squad but he plans to take series by series. "I believe in my ability and that I will play in the World Cup and contribute to our country's success in a meaningful manner. That is the hope. I am very, very consciously living in the present. I am confident but for the moment I am focusing to perform and succeed in Bangladesh to begin with and carry forward the confidence into subsequent tournaments," he said.