Following the Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup triumphs, Robin Uthappa slammed a run-a-ball 104 against Kerala in the Subbaiah Pillai Trophy, the South Zone qualifiers for the national one-dayers. The opener was at his boisterous best during the national meet in Kolkata last week, slamming back-to-back tons (132 not out against Gujarat and 133 against Jharkhand) to help Karnataka complete a historic treble. Uthappa, who occasionally bowls mediumpace, returned with two wickets as Karnataka eked out a four-wicket win over Railways in the final at Eden Gardens.
"It's a special feeling to be able to win all the three domestic tournaments," said Uthappa, who top scored the tournament with 536 runs at an average of 76.57. "We are a unique bunch of cricketers as each player cares for the team. And to be part of history is more than pleasing," he added.
Uthappa is not letting himself get carried away following his success. Hours after winning the Vijay Hazare, Uthappa flew to his training base Mumabi to consult personal coach Praveen Amre as part of his preparation for the Deodhar Trophy, the zonal limited overs tournament which will kick off on March 23 at Vizag.
"We have good players in the South Zone team and stand a good chance of winning the Deodhar Trophy," Uthappa pointed out.
In the run-up to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karnataka's unbeaten run came to an end when the defending champions were defeated by Tamil Nadu in the South Zone title decider. However Robin said the team's focus was on the national title. His best season was 2006-07 Ranji Trophy in which he was top scorer with 854 runs.
With a string of impressive performances, the stylish Bangalorean is now dreaming about another stint with the Indian team. "I believe I have performed well. I believe I should be playing the next level and I am confident that I will succeed at the highest level. Given a chance I will be able to add value to the team," said Uthappa, who last played an ODI in 2008 against Sri Lanka in Karachi.
His last international appearance was in the rain-affected T20 game in South Africa in March 2012.
Brief Scores: Railways 157 in 47.4 overs (R Jonathan 46, A Ghosh 33; A Mithun 4-19, R Uthappa 2-19) lost to Karnataka 158-6 in 43 overs (K Nair 53 not out, L Rahul 38; K Upadhyay 3-30, Anureet Singh 2-41) by four wickets.
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