IPL: Uthappa Maximises Second Chance

This is the sequence of scores Robin Uthappa has compiled ever since he was asked to open the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders: 47, 65, 47, 46, 80, 40, 67. KKR have won five out of those seven games. Among the Indian openers on show in IPL 7, Uthappa is leading by a big margin, even holding onto the second spot in the top run-getters list, behind only Glenn Maxwell.

India are to play three one-day internationals in Bangladesh after the IPL. You can connect the dots. With Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli already pulling out of the short tour before a grueling season in England, Uthappa should be an automatic choice, freeing up Rohit Sharma to play at his customary No 4 spot, a role where he has flourished for Mumbai Indians.

Uthappa vanished from the Indian team almost as spectacularly as he had announced his arrival in 2006. His one-day debut came in the same series as Suresh Raina's. In Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly's absence, Uthappa had made himself a regular in the side so much so that he went on to secure a place in the 2007 World Cup.

A year later, Uthappa was dumped out of the side following a inconsistent run and amid stories of arrogance and carelessness. He last played for India in a T20 game two years ago. Karnataka, his domestic team, won the treble of the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Cup and the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season, all of which Uthappa was a part of. He has spoken at length about bringing clarity to his batting, freeing up his mind for the early overs where he can capitalise.

"The ball was coming on well in the second innings and even the dew made batting easy," Uthappa said after clubbing a 39-ball 67 in the defeat of Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday night. "I just wanted to play on the merit of the ball. When you play T20 cricket, you lose shape when you hit the ball, so that's where I have worked to keep my shape while hitting the ball."

Not losing shape was his way of emphasising that he hasn't been trying to hit the ball hard. At the Eden Gardens he caressed rather than creamed through the offside; the shots through the leg side were merely flicked and yet travelled to the boundary as though they were bludgeoned, a far cry from the Uthappa who would walk down the pitch and flat-bat Brett Lee over the straight boundary.

That is not to say Uthappa has rid himself of all the flaws that plagued his game when he first arrived. In almost all his seven innings at the top of the order, fielders have dropped catches, offering him a second chance. Against CSK, two outside edges were dropped. Uthappa still likes to drive on the rise, and the swinging ball has troubled him. However, he has made the second chances count.

A three-ODI window, though, may just be the second chance Uthappa has been waiting for.