Robin Uthappa relishes new challenge

 

Bengaluru: It’s often said that injuries remind a sportsperson of his age, but for Robin Uthappa, injuries have taught him key lessons in life. At 28, he is counted among the underachieving talents in the country. But the past year has seen the strappy Kodava reinvent himself as a cricketer and more importantly as a person. Playing for his fourth team in seven years, the Kolkata Knight Riders batsman will square up against his former team Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle, he spoke about the how the current season is unfolding.

 

I’m used to the transitions now. But the last two teams that I have played with have been the most enjoyable for me. The franchisees have been really nice and the experiences that I have shared, thus far, with this franchisee and the experience that I shared with last franchisee, Pune Warriors, were extremely warm and professional and I really enjoyed that experience. So, it doesn’t seem very much different from that but I find this unit more like a well-knit family that has a lot of warmth within the group. There’s a lot of connection and the energy is really positive.

 

It has definitely given me confidence in the sense that I feel good about myself. I feel like I’m in a good mental space of mine; skills seem to be in place and I feel very confident and equipped coming into this tournament, which definitely is a huge advantage.

 

I’m performing a role that I have not performed throughout the year. So, it’s a good challenge that I am faced with and to be successful and score runs at a position that I don’t normally bat in, is something that I’m looking forward to. I believe that I have the skills to succeed irrespective of the fact that I’m not batting at the position that I normally do.

 

I believe Knight Riders’ chances are as good as anybody else’s. We started the tournament well. We were positive in the way we played. Our approach and the energy we carried on to the field have been really good. I think it’s important to build on the momentum that we have created. It’s also vital to keep emotions detached from this game and if we can do that successfully and deal with one game at a time, we are going to do really well and go real far in the tournament.