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Robin Uthappa: "You shouldn't think of negatives. You want to think of the positives, go out there and give your best"
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On the eve of the one-off Twenty20 match at the Brabourne Stadium - which
was abuzz with 11th-hour activity - the Indian team was keen to reinforce
the fact that this was a different format of the game, one in which they,
and not Australia, were world champions.
"Whether they get even or not we're still the world champions, aren't we? It's a very good feeling to go into this game as world champions," Robin Uthappa said when someone suggested that the Australians
would be using this game to get back at the Indians for the semi-final
defeat in South Africa. "The confidence is high, everyone's
enjoying the game and the atmosphere in the dressing-room is fantastic.
"The young guys are all happy to be back. They've
had a good break so they've come back fresh. Again it's a new kind of
experience. Playing there in South Africa and playing here are two
different things altogether - the wickets and the conditions are really
different. It's a 20-over game and can change in a matter of five
balls. It's a fast game. Whoever plays well [on Saturday] will win."
That said, both teams realise that in this format of the game it's not
really worth naming one side favourites and the other underdogs. This is
the format in which Australia were beaten by Zimbabwe, and both stressed
on the need to enjoy the game. "It's a completely different version of the
game so I don't think the loss in the one-day series will have any bearing," Uthappa said. "Everyone's going out there to enjoy themselves.
After a seven-match series this Twenty20 game comes like a picnic kind of
thing where you enjoy yourselves come what may."
So much has changed now in that the Indians are suggesting they'd take the
game a bit lightly, even if in jest, while the Australians concede they
realise this version is here to stay and it's important to
play as hard as you can. But this role reversal is understandable,
given India's success in the World Twenty20.
And for Uthappa, the good
times have rolled on, as he's played a couple of exciting and
critical knocks in different positions in the batting order in the
50-over format. When asked if it was easy to play this
floating role, Uthappa said: "It's easy if you keep an open mind. You
should not think: 'I'm fit to play in one position or another.' If you have
an open mind anything is possible. If you want to do it for your team
you'll do it."
Both teams realise that in this format of the game it's not
really worth naming one side favourites and the other underdogs. This is
the format in which Australia were beaten by Zimbabwe, and both stressed
on the need to enjoy the game
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Uthappa drew praise from Ricky Ponting for the manner in which he batted,
and insists this will only inspire him further. "Coming from the captain
of the best one-day side in the world it's inspiring and pushes me to work
harder," Uthappa said. "I'm working on my game and a few flaws that I
have. I'm looking to up my game a bit and convert starts to bigger
scores."
He said this was possible because he had a flexible
approach to batting. "I've been able to adjust to situations whenever and
wherever I've needed to change my game. I have the confidence to bat
according to the situation. I've done it successfully a couple of times
and feel very confident. I think I can up my game at will and if I want to
drop down a couple of gears I can do that at will to. I've reached a place
where I can change gears at my own time."
That said, even being in good form, Uthappa conceded that the Twenty20
format meant that even a couple of mistakes could cost you dear. But he
said the team was not approaching the game with that sort of a mindset.
"If you're going to think about making that one mistake then that
mistake's going to happen. You shouldn't think of negatives," he said.
"You want to think of the positives, go out there and give your best.
Everyone in the team has been absolutely positive."
Once again then, India are without Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and
Rahul Dravid, and the talk is all about high energy, intensity and a fun
atmosphere in the dressing-room. There's extra room for celebration as
Virender Sehwag - who missed practice - became a father for the first
time. Mahendra Singh Dhoni also missed part of practice with a knee
niggle, but was set to play. The in-form Murali Kartik will take the place of the injured legspinner Piyush Chawla. Kartik had left for Delhi on Friday morning and was called back the same evening.
Also likely to return in tomorrow's match is Mathew Hayden. Before the
final one-dayer, which Hayden missed, Ponting said that his player was "85
to 90% fit". By now he's good to go, and all things being equal will play on Saturday. And Australia, one-day series wrapped up or not, will be
keen to end the tour with a bang.
Teams
India (likely) 1
Virender Sehwag, 2
Gautam Gambhir , 3
Robin Uthappa, 4
Yuvraj Singh, 5
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), 6
Rohit Sharma, 7
Irfan Pathan, 8
Murali Kartik, 9
Harbhajan Singh, 10
RP Singh, 11
Sreesanth.
Australia (likely) 1
Matthew Hayden , 2
Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3
Ricky Ponting (capt), 4
Andrew Symonds , 5
Michael Clarke, 6
Brad Hodge, 7
James Hopes , 8
Brett Lee , 9
Mitchell Johnson , 10
Nathan Bracken, 11
Stuart Clark.
Anand Vasu is an associate editor at Cricinfo