My time under the sun will come: Robin Uthappa

The highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy 2014-15, the seventh highest run-getter in the previous Ranji season, the second highest run-getter for Karnataka in first-class cricket after Brijesh Patel, 20 first-class centuries, 48 first-class fifties; Robin Uthappa is a batting beast in his own right and has played a crucial role in Karnataka securing treble titles in two successive seasons.

However, the 30-year-old's international records are quite the contrary. A modest average of 25.94 in 46 One Day International (ODI) appearances and only 249 runs, with a solitary fifty in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), a stark contrast to his prolific numbers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in which he occupies the fifth spot on the list of highest run-scorers.

Following a decline in form after an extended run with the Indian team in 2007-08, Uthappa's international appearances have been limited. Eagerly awaiting an extended chance to prove his abilities and cement a spot, the seasoned Karnataka cricketer wants to make full use of the domestic season and prove a point.

"I feel my chances are as good as anybody else's but it's up to the selectors. I've been performing consistently over the last few years; I think my job is to make sure that I continue to perform consistently and make sure that these performances are match-winning performances and championship-winning performances," Uthappa told Cricbuzz.

"That's when it becomes even more meaningful and that's what I'm looking at doing - every time I perform I make sure that we win the game or my performances in a way add value to the team to win the championship. That's what I'm focusing on and I believe I will get my due. I still dream very big and I haven't let go of any of my dreams. I'm working hard, I'm moving forward and I believe that my time under the sun will come," he insists.

Whenever he has received an India call-up in recent years, it has mostly been for duties against lesser accomplished sides like Zimbabwe, on tours for which the front-line players have been rested. The last time he donned the India colours was in July 2015 in Zimbabwe, where he played three ODIs and two T20Is.

"For me, I think when I played in the (Indian) side, I never played in one position for more than three games. I'm certain that if I had played in one position for maybe 10 games or even 5-6 games, I know I would have made a bigger dent than I did when playing in one position for less than three games, three innings. So I think that's where things went a little awry for me," reasons Uthappa.

"Even when I made comebacks, I scored runs as an opening batsman (for Karnataka) but I always played as a middle-order batsman (with India). I think that's one of the banes for a person willing to do anything for the country. Having said that, like I said, I still believe that I will have my time under the sun and I think it's a matter of time. I need to continue doing what is in my control and leave the rest up to the selectors and god," he adds.

Despite his best efforts in the previous season, where he finished as the highest run-getter for his team with 759 runs with three hundreds and three fifties, Karnataka failed to progress to the knock-out stage, much to the surprise of many, considering their commanding performances in the preceding years. With the home advantage factor negated this year, Karnataka have their work cut out if they are to be the same force they were during their dominating run.

The experiment of playing at neutral venues is something that has been received with criticism from several quarters and it is no different with Uthappa, who feels neutral groundsmen would have been a better idea. "I'm certain the fans are saddened by the fact that these matches are being played at neutral venues. Over the last few years, the crowds that turned up for Ranji Trophy matches did increase and the interest did pick up. Neutral venues, I don't know how it's going to play out but I certainly believe in home advantage. But again, it's something that the BCCI want to try out and I'm certain that they have their reasons behind that.

"Maybe if they can have home and away games like we used to have in the past, but if we can have neutral groundsmen who can come and look after the pitches and prepare the wickets in home and away conditions then that would still keep a lot of interest in the public for Ranji Trophy games which has grown over the last few years. That's what I believe," reckons Uthappa.

This season Ranji Trophy will also act as a laboratory for further testing of pink-ball cricket, with one round of the premier domestic competition to be played under lights. Uthappa, who was part of the India Green set-up during the 2016 edition Duleep Trophy - the first Indian first-class tournament to be played under lights - says the pink ball has its own advantages but comes with a fair share of drawbacks.

"The pros are that it's a different format, it's different than normal red-ball cricket and also you sight the ball really well. The con definitely is the ball. If we play with the kind of quality of balls that we played in the Duleep Trophy, I'm certain that we would run out of bowlers and we'd have to play against bowling machines because that ball did nothing after 5-6 overs. It became extremely easy for the batsmen to score runs, at least on the wickets that we played on. I'm a firm believer that if you're playing in home conditions then you should use balls that last in home conditions. I think if you can use Indian manufactured balls, they probably would last a lot longer than the Kookaburras, because it doesn't do much in India.

"As time goes on, the ball does deteriorate and with that the seam deteriorates, it's not as visible as the seams of the other balls generally are. So obviously, it's slightly difficult to pick the googlies, but if you can watch the hand closely then you can generally tend to pick them. But if someone bowls with a scrambled seam then it becomes difficult to pick which way the ball is going," says Uthappa, when asked from a batting perspective.

So, as Karnataka gear up for a variety of challenges, which include having to do without a couple of their batting main-stays who will be out for India duties, adapting to playing at neutral venues and the constant travel that goes hand in hand, and the pink-ball trials that might just happen coincide with a crucial juncture of the tournament, Uthappa too will be bracing up for that and some of his own. Whether he and/or the team succeed, only time will tell.