Rajasthan Royals star Robin Uthappa aims for World Cup spot despite not playing since 2015

Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa last played an international match in 2015. Despite made his India debut in 2006, the right-handed batsman has played only 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is so far. He played the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in West Indies as well as the T20 World Cup in South Africa later that year.

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Robin Uthappa opens up about his World Cup prospects

In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Robin Uthappa said that he is currently eyeing a comeback into the Indian T20 side. At 34 years of age, he said that he is aiming for a World Cup spot before retirement. While emphasising on the game’s shortest format, the cricketer was more likely referencing the two upcoming T20 World Cups scheduled for back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. Robin Uthappa further said that with an “outside chance”, he still believes he can be a part of another World Cup-winning team and added that he wants to keep on playing cricket until his “dreams are still alive”. Uthappa claims to be ready to forego the thought of opening the batting for India but rather be the finisher for the Indian team a la MS Dhoni, something which the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant have failed to do recently.

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Robin Uthappa in T20 World Cup

Robin Uthappa was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in the inaugural 2007 edition. The cricketer played a crucial role in India’s triumph with match-winning knocks against Pakistan and Australia. The tournament was also MS Dhoni’s first venture as India’s captain and the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman led a fairly young team at the showpiece event.

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Robin Uthappa in Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2020

Robin Uthappa was purchased by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2020 auction in December 2019. The Karnataka-born batsman previously represented Kolkata Knight Riders between 2014 and 2019. In the Rajasthan Royals side for the IPL 2020, he will be accompanied by fellow Indian cricketers Sanju Samson, Varun Aaron and Jaydev Unadkat. Rajasthan Royals were initially slated to commence their IPL 2020 campaign with a match against Chennai Super Kings on April 2. However, the coronavirus pandemic prompted the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to postpone the much-awaited event.

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