Utthapa on sledging

[Guest HariSampath]

I love Robin Uthappa's batting, given consistent time as an opener he will be a fantastic striker in powerplays. He has not been consistent enough, but he has been shunted down the order all the time and hardly gets a decent bat, mostly in last 10 overs needing 7+ rpo. I saw him open against the Windies in Chepauk in some ODI and I was really impressed with his striking the ball. On sledging, he is speaking more for the team, remember it was a team decision to retaliate by sledging and Dhoni must have authorised it. Even after the series and during it too, Dhoni has been saying "sledging needs to be smart" and will have an effect. ALL the boys sledge, its no secret, Dhoni does, even Kumble did so against Yousuf and got him out crucially ! I would go so far to say that even Sachin would sledge ( in his own way, even if not abusive or abrasive), he can add to sledging or "appear" to support it, will have an equal impact due to his stature. Sachin certainly talks back to bowlers and fielders when he gets a word, during test matches mostly. Smart sledging should be allowed, makes the game more interesting, who can forget Vivian Richards being sledged and his words back to bowlers ! While sledging, its not possible to keep in mind one's own batting record against the batting record of the player sledged etc. You just got to sledge, the idea is to put down opponents and their confidence during key moments. Get them to retaliate, mental focus will drift, the need to prove a point may come and the batter can do something stupid. They may get angry , lose concentration etc. This is the original purpose of sledging/gamesmanship. But this certainly cannot and should not reduce to personal abuse, that should be penalised.