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Indian Premier League 2010
The adulation and fame can get to you - Uthappa
Cricinfo staff
April 20, 2010
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Audio/Video:
'Sometimes the adulation is too much to handle'
Players/Officials:
Robin Uthappa
Series/Tournaments:
Indian Premier League
Teams:
India
| Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Robin Uthappa, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, has said that while the IPL provides a great opportunity for youngsters to make a mark, it also requires the ability to deal with the high pressure, expectation and instant stardom.
"It depends on how level-headed the individual is. Sometimes the whole adulation and the atmosphere is too much to handle," Uthappa said on Cricinfo's audio show with Harsha Bhogle, Time Out.
"It can get to you; it can hit you in the face and get you straight back to the ground and then you start wondering: is this the way to go about it or should I actually take some time. It takes you a while to understand whether you can go after the bowling immediately to hang in there and wait for a while and then go after the bowling," he said.
Uthappa, who was a part of India's successful 2007 World Twenty20 campaign, drew from his personal experience to emphasise the point. His exploits in the shorter versions of the game won him an $800,000 contract with Mumbai Indians in the first IPL auction in 2008, pitch-forking him into the big league. However, he was unable to sustain his form on the field, following which he quickly receded from the limelight and was transferred to the Bangalore franchise. After an eventless 2009 season, he has come into his own in the third edition of the IPL, where he has been a smash hit. Uthappa believes that the inability to handle the pressures of instant stardom had a major impact on his performance.
"It did affect my cricket initially because I hadn't even factored in the amount of money I was earning. It was a new concept and no one had an idea that cricketers could actually earn this much. Initially it did affect me but thanks to my upbringing and the fact that I have a certain amount of education behind me really helped me stay grounded and made me realise that this is just a part and parcel of how cricket is going to be in the future and I needed to still focus and do my hard work," Uthappa said.
While the IPL offered a chance to create an instant impact, Uthappa cautioned that it also created the pressures of having to consistently deliver to private owners. "I may have been luckier than few cricketers in the past but I still needed to work hard and give 100%. Cricket is played differently as far as the franchises are concerned. You owe something to the franchises that you are owned by and you are responsible for whatever you are being paid for. So you can't think this is an easy way out and just go out there and play slam-bang cricket. You need to certain amount or responsibility long with the fact that you are earning a lot of money," he said.
Uthappa reiterated the importance of education and upbringing in ensuring youngsters did not get carried away by the instant adulation. "Sachin [Tendulkar] had a fantastic upbringing; the family he came from gave him a sense of grounding. It is important for the parents and the people who know the cricketers well enough to keep their feet on the ground.
"I am a graduate but when all this happened it was too much for me to handle and it took me six months or so to realise I was losing myself and that I needed to pull back and understand. I sat myself down one day to understand that all of this is a part and parcel of how cricket is going to be played for a very long time and I need to accept that this is how it is and still have my work ethics in place. There is one thing about having self respect and there is another thing about having ego. If you pick up an ego then you are going downhill," Uthappa said.
Click here to access the talk show.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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Robin Uthappa was one of my favorite batsmen representing India, till the first IPL, unfortunately, I was at the ground in Mumbai where I saw the beginning of his end - he was scoring brilliantly, playing straight. Then he got this sudden mad idea to improvise - that was the end of Robin Uthappa he managed to lose that match for Mumbai & subsequently, a lot of other matches for his teams trying to improvise instead of playing straight, something he is brilliant with. He now has to give Dhoni & the Indian Selectors confidence that the whimsical improvisation is a thing of the past before they will risk selecting him for India.
Posted by chouhaan on (April 21 2010, 14:18 PM GMT)@sweetspot..Dude that is exactly my point being such a match winner how come he never was ODI player of the year..may be he was nominated for it for 2 yrs but what happenned after that...he could not keep his Test cap for India ..Why ?? It is not that he doesnt have talent..I am a big fan of him!! want to see him in test matches too ..but there is some real big issue which is comin in the way...he had to sort it out as you said Self Management but dude I think it is not gonna solve because kids maange themselves by the way they are brought up ...It doesnt apply to everyone butwe can apply it to general cases..harbhajan has never been questioned for his commitment towards team or not playing to the potential...he is a fighter and so is Yuvraj but the fact that harbhajan is considered a senior player in the team who leads by example and yuvraj is still dicey on every front..
Posted by the_blue_android on (April 21 2010, 13:19 PM GMT)Hey Robin - I know you will read this as you care about your image and those kind of things. You gotta be careful about what you say, when you say players like KP etc are open minded about life, what you mean is Kumble, Sachin and others are not open minded about life. Let me tell you one thing, having a tattoo, having a celeb wife and bickering with your captain and every coach is not exactly being " open minded" about life. You can say whatever you want, but you won't be anything other than slam bang cricketer. SM and HB think you don't deserve all the money, you think you deserve every penny your getting. I think there needs to be middle ground and you should focus on how to get into the test side. I doubt if that will happen though. There are atleast 10-15 other players who will make the test team before you do.
Posted by kotrike on (April 21 2010, 01:27 AM GMT)I guess it has become a fashion to say that ".. as players of a private franchise we owe something to our masters..." what the heck... did that thought ever come to these players that they play for a nation and owe to its spectators... what they really want to say is that they owe it to the franchise for paying that money.. and money paid by indian cricket team is not enough to wake up the inner player ... same goes with Dhoni for his comments after getting thru to the semis...
Posted byWell expressed phrases and clauses in these admittance by Robinut. I read a few of the comments, mostly I found people appreciating the frankness and realization by this blaster batsman. Very rightly indicated by someone that he is mostly out through LBW. Yes, as Robinut is a front-foot player who like to strike the ball at the point it pitches or in other words, he likes playing short deliveries. He needs technical correction in this regard. L.V. Sivaramakrishnan is remembered in one of the comments. LVS played in only two series and them vanished from nation squad. The reason stressed upon is financial flooding that occured which caused lapse in careed on the basis of incosistent performances. Yes, Robinut got this realization at the right time. Putting his head cool off financial bubbling, he is ought to stick to ground and keep sharpening his techniques and always reiterating that, 'hard work is the key to success' he could be a great player that may be badly needed in squad.
Posted by sweetspot on (April 20 2010, 19:57 PM GMT)@chouhaan - Yes it is sad that at the pinnacle of very many sports there aren't that many Indians! What difference does nationality make when comparing "grounding" and character? To run with your point, our upbringing is not good for talent? The will to win and the discipline to follow through consistently are all it takes to stay at the top. If you cannot handle your success, that is an issue with your personality development and self management, not upbringing. In our society, we cocoon our youngsters too much and inevitably help them be satisfied with mediocrity. That is why an individual Olympic medal had eluded us for so long. Yuvraj Singh may be having a lean patch in this IPL, but let's not forget his incredible exploits not so long ago. Harbhajan Singh too is a bit of a rough diamond, and given to belligerence, but these two guys, with the biggest attitude problems in the team ostensibly, are big hearted match winners, much more than a Dravid, for instance.
Posted by sweetspot on (April 20 2010, 19:47 PM GMT)@Rakesh107 - Tiger Woods made it to the very top WHILE having a romp! His personal life has come under the scanner now, but does anybody doubt his greatness on the green? Are we suggesting that Becker and McEnroe didn't handle their success as well as some others who did better than them? There are any number of examples to the contrary of any theory. That's my point. Sportspersons with good internal balance can handle one crisis completely separated from another. Robin Uthappa has never had to handle the kind of pressure that Sachin has shouldered, so much is yet to be tested in this relative youngster. I cannot see a script being written for that kind of greatness for him though.
Posted by KiQa55 on (April 20 2010, 15:55 PM GMT)@varun: easy lbw candidate?? hes always halfway down the pitch
Posted by Rakesh107 on (April 20 2010, 15:24 PM GMT)Obviously banging on about his privileged upbringing (when compared to millions of Indians who are not as fortunate). I think RU did actually pick up an ego and has left it at the bottom of the hill as his demeanour has changed. More often than not the greats in any sport not only require god given talent but a stable personal life. @Sweetspot-Tiger had already made it before the scandal and only with determination and a hell of a lot of discipline from Woods Snr did he make - oh and a good upbringing. BTW-talent is also a must! Becker and McEnroe never reached the levels of Borg/Sampras/Federer did they? True greats! Back to RU-really suspect when the ball nibbles about-plants his front foot far too often/early and can only play effectively on Indian wickets on the front foot. Most of his pulls with the short ball are also on the front foot and while he's not facing pure express pace on a quick bouncy wicket. Verdict - IPL will suffice for RU and the odd T20/ODI in India.
Posted by gcubed on (April 20 2010, 14:48 PM GMT)@sweetspot: You make a good point. But Robin's point was not that good upbringing will add to your talent. He only said it will help you handle 'success' well. I could argue that possibly McEnroe would have won the same amount of matches without yelling at others with a better upbringing. Also Ramesh Krishnan could still have yelled at line referees (Will you agree that he had more reasons to yell than McEnroe?). @jagadish Prasad: I am an admirer of Dravid but Ganguly is a loser how?