Robin Uthappa was traded by Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2021 player auction. From opening to batting at number three, the Royals tried him at various batting positions. In the last few seasons in the IPL, he has mostly batted in the middle-order. He batted in the middle-order both for KKR and the Royals in the last few seasons and the experiment did not quite work. His best IPL season was in 2014 when he scored 660 runs in the season opening the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Talking to Times of India, he spoke about his ideal batting position for Chennai Super Kings. He said that he would like to open for the franchise where he has been most successful in his career.
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Would Like To Open For CSK: Robin Uthappa
“I would definitely like to play as an opener. It is where I naturally thrive. Getting the team off to a good start and winning matches for the team is what I am most comfortable doing. In the last few years, people have tried to use me in positions that I am not necessarily good at. It is probably why you have seen a dip in performance. But whenever I have opened the batting, I have done really well,” said Robin Uthappa.
Meanwhile, CSK’s opening combination is well sorted with Faf Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad. While Faf has been their designated opener over the years, Gaikwad scored three fifties for the side opening the innings for Chennai Super Kings last year.
Meanwhile, Uthappa’s best performances in the IPL have come batting at number three (1425 runs at an average of 32.39). As an opener, he has scored 2057 runs at an average of 27.43. His average drops to 27.45 and 17.44 while coming in at No.4 and No.5 respectively.
He opened up on playing alongside MS Dhoni at CSK and said that it was a dream come true for him. Both Robin Uthappa and MS Dhoni played in the first World T20 that India won under Dhoni.
“I have got the fondest memories with Dhoni. We met for the first time during a Challenger Trophy campaign and played an NCA (National Cricket Academy) match together around 2004. We were very close when we were playing for India together. Since then, we have always been in touch” said Uthappa.
The Kerala batsman was in good touch in the recently completed Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021. He scored 377 runs from six games at an average of 75.4, while his strike rate reads 131.81.
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