Robin Uthappa on IPL, Sachin and more

Team Pune lost the last two matches on homeground, but cricketer Robin Uthappa is optimistic about the matches to come.
“One always plans to succeed but the success rate may not always be nine on 10. IPL comes with certain pressure, but we’ve played well overall and haven’t been dominated by any team,” he says. “I love Pune. It reminds me so much of Bangalore, except it has less traffic,” he says with a smile.Hailing from Bangalore, is it difficult for him to shift loyalties to other cities? “Initially, I played for Team Mumbai, and I felt very weird when I was bought by Bangalore. To be honest, I didn’t want to play for Bangalore because I felt loyal to Mumbai. It took me a while to adjust but I’m glad Bangalore did so well last season. Now, I’m with Pune and I love the team. IPL teaches you to be professional and keep emotions aside,” he says.
Yuvraj Singh’s presence at the last match surprised Uthappa. “I didn’t know he’d be there. It’s always good to meet someone who’s fought it out,” he says. While Uthappa is all praise for Team Pune’s captain, Sourav Ganguly, he also has utmost respect for Sachin Tendulkar. “I don’t know what to make of his Rajya Sabha nomination,” he says, adding, “He’s a fantastic cricketer. We all look up to him; there’s so much to learn. I would love to listen to him give a motivational speech,” he gushes.
Ask him about all the attention he gets from female fans, and he laughs it off. “I accept it as a part and parcel of my work. It comes with the adulation but I know it’s all very fleeting,” he says. His focus is only on the game, he stresses. “That’s why I like the longest format. It shows you how good a player you are. My goal is to play for my country and be the best player.”
punetimes@timesgroup.com