Robin Uthappa, during a press conference in Mumbai, on Monday

Mumbai: Robin Uthappa is excited that he will at last get a full series of ODIs and T20s to show his wares as a top order batsman who can also keep wickets during the upcoming short trip to Zimbabwe. 

“I am pretty excited. The last few years I have been getting just one-off games at the end of the series. So I am pretty excited to get a complete series and a complete series with me keeping wickets. 

“I believe and assume that I will be keeping wickets. I am the only one (in the squad) who keeps (wickets) in domestic cricket,” said the hard-hitting Karnataka batsman during the open media session on Monday, ahead of the squad’s departure on Tuesday morning.

“As a wicket-keeper, you get a close view of the wicket. There’s a lot of information you get as a wicket-keeper on how the pitches play and what kind of angles are available for the batsmen,” he said.

The tour commences on July 10 with the first of three ODIs and ends with the second and last T20I and all matches are to be played at one venue, Harare.

Uthappa said he has prepared well for the tour. “The preparations have been good... I have stuck to the same preparations and practice mode. I am paying the same amount of time on ’keeping and batting. I want to do that job well for the country.”

Though considered as a limited overs specialist at the international level, Uthappa said his dream was to represent the country in Test cricket.

“The goal is to play for India at the Test level. I will represent India in Tests, that’s the dream I have.”

Another batsman who has been in and out of ODIs, but was part of the World Cup squad, Ambati Rayudu, is also glad to get the opportunity to play for the country at a place where he has played before.

“The conditions were challenging and the ball was swinging around... In terms of cricket it was a good tour,” said Rayudu, who was part of the Virat Kohli-led squad that whitewashed the hosts 5-0 in three ODIs and two T20s in the earlier visit in 2013.

On India missing some top players, Rayudu said it provided opportunity for the others. “All I want to say is we are a good team... Everyone is well prepared and the tour provides an opportunity to all the players in the team.” 

Asked about his aggressive instincts as a batsman when he started out at the under-19 level, Rayudu said even now his instinct was aggressive, but it gets tempered with the situation the team finds itself in. “Even now my instinct is to play aggressive cricket. But I control that as per match situations,” he said.

Asked about Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s comments that he rotated the strike well, Rayudu smiled and said: “I try constantly to improve as a player like everyone else does. I have been working hard to improve my game.”
He did not agree that there would be extra pressure on the players after the 1-2 series loss to Bangladesh recently.
“I don’t think so. It’s an opportunity for everyone.”He agreed that the absence of Brendon Taylor from the Zimbabwe line up would help the Indians.

“It’s a big advantage for us that he’s not there... He has always been a big player.”                                     

(PTI)