"In that glass, there were holes made by air-gun pellets" - Former India batter's stunning revelations from aftermath of 2007 ODI World Cup

Former batter Robin Uthappa has opened up about the aftermath of India’s disappointing campaign in the 2007 ODI World Cup held in the West Indies. Under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, the team failed to progress beyond the group stage and missed out on the Super 8s.

Uthappa recently appeared on the YouTube podcast First Umpire, where he reflected on the challenging period following the tournament. He described how the glass on one of his home balconies had been riddled with air-gun pellets. The 39-year-old also revealed that he questioned whether he would ever be able to play cricket again. He said:

“At my home, in one of the balconies, we had covered it with glass. In that glass there were holes made by air-gun pellets. I am talking about 2007. So you think about multiple things, you know, how to process this, how to stay positive after this. It’s not easy, it’s very… and at one point I did think, will I even play cricket again or not, let alone play for India.”

During the tournament, Uthappa played in three matches, scoring a total of 30 runs at an average of 10.00, with a highest score of 18.

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“Ashamed, disappointed” - Robin Uthappa shares experience following India’s dismal performance in 2007 ODI World Cup

During the same interaction, Robin Uthappa revealed that after the team returned from the 2007 ODI World Cup in the West Indies, he didn’t leave his home for three weeks and was very disappointed. He said:

“When we came home, I didn’t even know whether I would play for India again or not, I absolutely did not know. For three weeks I didn’t leave home. The only time I left home was when I went to church and I came back, that’s it. Obviously ashamed, obviously disappointed. I was 21 years old, 20-21 years old when this happened to me. At that time, based on my exposure at that point, how to process this, a person does not know.”

During his international career for India, Robin Uthappa played 59 matches across the two white-ball formats, scoring 1,183 runs at an average of 25.71, including seven half-centuries.