Robin Uthappa complains about Zimbabwean pitches, talks about 'second string India XI'

Robin Uthappa behind India’s stumps during the first T20I against Zimbabwe

Robin Uthappa, part of the Indian team dispatched on the tour of Zimbabwe, refused the notion of him being part of a second string India XI, said that pitches in Zimbabwe were unsuited to T20 matches, and talked about his position in the batting order.

In the first T20I on Friday, India won by 54 runs thanks to a string of top order 30s that saw them post 178 for five. Uthappa made 39, anchoring the later part of the Indian innings. However, he insisted batting was more difficult on the Harare pitch than it looked like.

"I thought it was a very good score, given the wicket. The wicket was again very slow. Not like the T20 wickets that you play on all around the world.

"Generally when you play T20 cricket you get good flat, even tracks that help the bowlers and the batsmen, and basically are even: if the bowlers bowl well then you get wickets, and if the batters bat well they get runs.

"This was quite different. It was slow and low, hard to score runs and hard to score boundaries. You had to depend on the twos and make sure you back yourself.

"And you also know that it's not easy for the new batsman to come in and play shots, you've got to give yourself time. So it was important for me to hold one end up for the side. I realized that once Manish (Pandey) got out, we needed one batsman to bat through. I was very happy to do that for the team."

As many as 25 players deserve to play for India: Uthappa

Uthappa plays as an opener for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, but fitted in comfortably in the middle order for India on Friday.

About the changes required in his approach he said, "Through the year in domestic cricket, in the IPL, or otherwise I'm always opening the batting and so suddenly when you have to play in the middle order you have to be more flexible. Make slight adjustments.

“For me, just to wait to bat is very different because I like to get in there and set the foundation for the side. But here you're going into a situation that's already set for you. It's quite different in the middle order. But I'm getting the hang of it. I'm learning as I go. The more I play the better I'll get at it."

Uthappa also refused to acknowledge that he was part of a ‘second string’ Indian XI sent on a tour, incidentally skipped by senior players MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma.

He said, "I think we have a pool of 25 players, and all of us deserve to play for the country, it's just that you cannot carry more than 15 in a side.

"We play so much of T20 cricket, all of us must have played 100 games each in the IPL, and there the pressure is a lot more. There's more of a crowd, you want to perform, you're playing the best players in the world. “