'I thought I could get away with murder' - Robin Uthappa

[Sachinism]

It was 2007. They said he didn't look fit. They said he had been reduced to two shots - a paddle scoop and a desperate walk down the track. They said he was arrogant, that he had got ahead of himself. That Robin Uthappa was over. Aged 21. Uthappa grew up with such accusations directed at him: unfit, over-confident, arrogant, a front-foot thumper. The stories were familiar. Everyone had heard the one about his mother suggesting he ask Rahul Dravid for an autograph, only to have her son reply, "I want to give, not take autographs." The one about his weight, however, is not so well known. At the age of 10, an attack of epilepsy meant he had to take steroid medication for three-and-a-half years. It slowed his metabolism and made him susceptible to putting on weight, leading to a life-long battle against the bulge. Things haven't changed much. Uthappa is still battling the same perceptions. "I need not only to be fit but also to look fit," he says. "If I don't train for a week, I put on four kilos. You can imagine what happens if I don't train for a month. Post-IPL I was 85kgs. I went into surgery [for a shoulder injury] at 89 kilos." After surgery he didn't train for 21 days. He started rehab at 95 kilos. It has to be depressing. "It's like hitting a wall," he says. "Day in, day out you hit the gym and work really hard but you feel like you are not getting any results." After the surgery Uthappa checked his weight every week. No movement on the scale. Still the after-effects of the old battle with epilepsy. Uthappa looks fit now, but he knows it's a never-ending struggle. Arrogance, the second sin, shadowed him for long and he admits as much. When he played the first IPL, just on the heels of a World Twenty20 triumph, the familiar traps followed: money, fame and narcissism. "I was 21-22, we had just won the World Cup, and I thought I could get away with murder, man," Uthappa says. It's the burden of his generation, and it looks like Uthappa's story is repeated in a dozen youngsters around. The system and its "benefits" can leave a young cricketer vulnerable to temptation and unaware of how to handle fame and fortune. He says it wasn't the usual distractions like parties and late nights that had bothered him. "I stopped working as hard as I used to. My work ethics definitely suffered. I would rather stay in the room rather than get some work done in the gym. I would rather hit 20 balls less than 40 more, like I used to do in the past." "Fame does funny things," Sadanand Viswanath, an eighties star who burnt out early, once said. "The adoration from fans is indescribable. You have to be there to understand it." Uthappa does. "Money, certainly, is a factor," he says. "When you are suddenly earning so much, you get ahead of yourself." An entourage mushrooms around you, of the kind of people a young athlete ends up attracting. "You get people who tell you what you want to hear, you slack off," Uthappa adds, "Worse, you don't even know you are slacking. It happens more and more, especially with the kind of money that's come into the game now." Some cricketers never realise they have derailed. It struck Uthappa just before the CB Series in Australia two years ago. "We were playing Pakistan in India and I realised I had already done a lot of damage to my career," he says. "I realised I had to make changes and do it quickly. I tried to do it in the CB Series, but after the new selection committee came in. The Asia Cup in 2008 was the last game I played. I had no real role in that tournament, and Suresh Raina came really good, and they had to leave me out. "It took a while for me to adjust, but I am really happy that I realised by myself that I was going off track and realised pretty quickly. I remember thinking, 'S**t, I'm getting ahead of myself and should hold back.' Even then I guess it was a little late to realise." He is 24 now. He reflects on that phase of his life and talks about what youngsters need in times like the ones he went through. "I think one has to have a guide, a mentor they can talk to, trust, and blindly believe what they say," he says. "It could be a fellow player, a coach or parents. If that other person says you are crap right now, you close your eyes and believe that is so. Thankfully due to my education and upbringing, I realised soon that I was heading the wrong way. I have understood that there are lines a player can and cannot cross and I have mended my ways." If that indeed is true - and there is no reason not to believe him - it's only the beginning of the battle. Uthappa started his campaign to return to the Indian team on the domestic circuit. He had a reasonable 2009 season, but flopped in that year's IPL. The domestic season that followed wasn't great, but the IPL 2010 was. His power-packed cameos put him back on the map. It also helped him understand the path ahead. "I can't be a Rahul Dravid. I can't be a grafter," Uthappa says. "I don't have the flexibility of Sachin, who can graft and attack at his own will. I am someone whose strength is aggression. I am more in the mould of Hayden, Sehwag or Dhoni. I have decided that's how I am going to play from now on." The Champions League is the first step in his attempt to return to international cricket. Since the 2009 World Twenty20, many young Indian batsmen have floundered against short-pitched deliveries. Uthappa sees the Champions League as an opportunity to showcase his skill. "I grew up on matting wickets, and pull shots come naturally to me. The South African pitches will offer bounce and should be ideal for such shots." He has said he will concentrate on his keeping, and now aims to fill that role for India in the limited-overs formats. He also says he has relinquished the opening slot, and will seek a role in the middle order. It's not going to be easy. He still has a long way to go. The good news is, Uthappa knows it and is ready for the long haul. http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/475493.html

[rkt.india]

very good article....

[Karan114]

You can't blame young players for losing focus when they are showered with so much fame and riches even before they have achieved anything in their careers (and surrounded by the wrong sorts of people as Robin says). But it is good to see that at least Uthappa acknowledged that and is trying to get his game back in order.

[vvvslaxman]

Even though he said that they should have found a better title for the article.

[achilles]

Robin has redeemed himself in front of one and all with this mature, cool, calm and confident interview. :bow: Hope to see you in the team soon, Robbie :isalute:

[fineleg]

Excellent article. Too much money & fame can seriously damage hunger and work-ethics of any youngster in any field. There *are* some with super focus and ethics who can withstand that ala Tendulkar or Tiger Woods (just work-ethic). While Indian intl. cricket as a whole is now a game of rags-to-riches in an exponential curve for the talented, IPL is several times that. IPL is also one that encourages 'living the celebrity lifestyle AFTER EVERY bloody tontee tontee match. The sooner utter POS and crap like I.Pu.L and C.L. burn, the better it is for talented indian youngsters in cricket like Ishant. The scrapping of such IPL & similar nonsense cannot come a momen too soon. But I won't hold my breath. What happens happens. -*shrug* Finey

[Lord]

hope they give chances before WC n that he works on his keeping

[DomainK]

Superb article. A very interesting insight into what may happen when you enter into serious money, success and stardom. Many of our players are going through that and many are suffering from what Robin went through. May be that was the reason for Irfan's downfall, may be thats the reason Ishant is no more what he once was. And I think we should have very good counselling for these players to keep them on the ground. Thats is something the BCCI needs to think about. This story also tells us a lot about Tendulkar's character. What Robin and others are going through now, happened to Tendulkar in a much bigger way, much before it started happening to any Indian cricketer. Robin was 21 then, Sachin was 18 when he was a superstar, was called the best batsman ever in the history of the game and was the hottest brand in the sports world. The way he lived through all that is admirable. Nothing made him arrogant, nothing came between him and his character. Nothing affected his cricket. Everything only made his stronger and stronger. He is the perfect role model for every cricketer. He is the man to look upto. Every budding cricketer should try and follow that man.

[cowboysfan]

he is still 24!!.He can definitely establish himself in the indian middle order in LOI cricket if he wants it bad enough.If he can improve his keeping then he might be the backup to Dhoni.I am hoping the light has finally turned on for him,these next few are crucial to his career as he has a chance to get into the world cup squad with good performances.

[ravishingravi]

Oh!! These young cricketers. I hope they pick up the gauntlet for India.

[beetle]

So he agrees he was an arrogant ass that most people believed he was. He obviously doesn't believe in letting his actions speak louder than his words.It would have meant something if these words had come from someone else's mouth.Seems like the arrogant pr*ck is trying to repackage himself into a more "friendly" package. A self promoting pat on his back. He never fails to mention his education and upbringing ....it's a pity his education and upbringing didn't prevent him from becoming an arrogant man in the first place.

[vamos_rafa]

It was a good read. And the one noticeable thing being that he accepted what all his downfalls were specially, on the topic of fame and money. So many of our young cricketers refuse to comment on this saying that playing cricket is important for them and not the money,but deep down all of us know that it isn't the case. So liked his attitude in that sense. But really he should put in a lot of hard yards. He has spoken a lot about this and that,specially putting himself in the Hayden-Sehwag bracket. They have pawned almost all attacks around thw world and still he's a novice in my opinion. I don't know how much of it is going to materialize. And I think BCCI should do something to stop the rottening of the players with money and fame. I think it all boils down to the individual per se,but still a counselling would be helpful. If I am not wrong I think Kumble was asked to give lectures on the same in SA. I can't recollect entirely but i think these kinds of exercises are very important to secure our future in Cricket.

[achilles]

So he agrees he was an arrogant ass that most people believed he was. He obviously doesn't believe in letting his actions speak louder than his words.It would have meant something if these words had come from someone else's mouth.Seems like the arrogant pr*ck is trying to repackage himself into a more "friendly" package. A self promoting pat on his back. He never fails to mention his education and upbringing ....it's a pity his education and upbringing didn't prevent him from becoming an arrogant man in the first place.

Brian Lara was arrogant from Day 1 to the last day he played cricket. Ricky Ponting is the idol of arrogance. That didn't stop them from playing good cricket, something Robin couldn't do. However, he's trying to find his feet again. And he's doing quite a handsome job at that. I would pick him at No.7 anyday. We need players like him. Absolute livewire. Super Slogger. And positive :)

[thevortex]

Just tells you how we cannot compare and contrast today's cricketers with a Sachin or a Dravid or a Kumble. It would be unfair on the present generation. We just have to take them as they come and allow them to express themselves.

[achilles]

Just tells you how we cannot compare and contrast today's cricketers with a Sachin or a Dravid or a Kumble. It would be unfair on the present generation. We just have to take them as they come and allow them to express themselves.

I would love to see players like the Fab 5. But times are changing. We've gotta accept the changing face of India.

[retterimp]

Superb article. A very interesting insight into what may happen when you enter into serious money, success and stardom. Many of our players are going through that and many are suffering from what Robin went through. May be that was the reason for Irfan's downfall, may be thats the reason Ishant is no more what he once was. And I think we should have very good counselling for these players to keep them on the ground. Thats is something the BCCI needs to think about. This story also tells us a lot about Tendulkar's character. What Robin and others are going through now, happened to Tendulkar in a much bigger way, much before it started happening to any Indian cricketer. Robin was 21 then, Sachin was 18 when he was a superstar, was called the best batsman ever in the history of the game and was the hottest brand in the sports world. The way he lived through all that is admirable. Nothing made him arrogant, nothing came between him and his character. Nothing affected his cricket. Everything only made his stronger and stronger. He is the perfect role model for every cricketer. He is the man to look upto. Every budding cricketer should try and follow that man.

great post. its tough to imagine how sachin dealt with all that hype at such a young age. truly a champion and servant of the game which kept him humble. no one else like sachin!

[CSK Fan]

Just tells you how we cannot compare and contrast today's cricketers with a Sachin or a Dravid or a Kumble. It would be unfair on the present generation. We just have to take them as they come and allow them to express themselves.

To be fair, Dravid and Kumble were never given adoration, respect and great money and name until they had played a few years and had established themselves in the team. By that time they respected the game and the work ethics. Our youngsters become famous now from the first day they set their feet into cricket. Many come directly from domestic cricket into an international tourney like IPL which is all about gllamour and money and less about hard work. So that reflects on their character

[vvvslaxman]

"I can't be a Rahul Dravid. I can't be a grafter," Uthappa says. "I don't have the flexibility of Sachin, who can graft and attack at his own will. I am someone whose strength is aggression. I am more in the mould of Hayden, Sehwag or Dhoni. I have decided that's how I am going to play from now on."

You can't be Hayden, Sehwag, Dhoni either.

[ganeshran]

Now he cant get away with pickpocket also :giggle:

[Switchblade]

One thing ive noticed about him is that he doesnt converts his starts into big one he tries to smash everything out of the park