What’s the story?
The Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) repeated efforts to persuade Robin Uthappa to reconsider his plans to leave Karnataka ahead of the new domestic season fell on deaf ears as the 31-year-old forced his way to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
It brings an end to Uthappa’s long association with the Karnataka state team – something which started way back in 2002 when he made his first-class debut for the side as a 17-year-old.
Despite being sparsely used in the 2016/17 Ranji season, R Sudhakar Rao, the interim KSCA secretary insisted that his team was desperate to hold on the flamboyant batsman’ s services but to no avail.
“I had a long chat with Robin and he had his reasons for moving out,” said Rao. “We tried to hold him back but couldn’t, so we had to issue the NOC as per his request. His contribution to Karnataka cricket is immense and we wish him the best always.”
In case you didn’t know....
As was reported earlier in May, Uthappa’s likely destination for the 2017/18 domestic season is going to be Kerala with only contractual terms yet to be agreed with the Kerala Cricket Association.
Despite his stellar performances in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders season after season, his prowess in the domestic circuit has been on the decline since finishing up as the top run-getter in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season.
Having played only six first-class games for Karnataka in the previous campaign, it was all but certain that Uthappa would seek pastures new and the NOC has confirmed it.
Extra Cover: IPL 2017: The dream is to play for India again, says Robin Uthappa
The details
It was the 2006-07 domestic season that brought Uthappa into the limelight as he amassed 1084 runs in first-class cricket at a stellar average of 57.05 and set him on the way to more than 100 first-class games for Karnataka.
His exploits earned him a spot in the ODI squad for the home series against England later that year and he would go on to play a key role in India’s victorious 2007 T20 World Cup campaign as well.
Poor form saw him drop out of the national side but he remained a prominent figure in Karnataka cricket as he led the state to the final of the 2009/10 Ranji Trophy season where they came up short against Mumbai.
His standout performance for Karnataka though came during the 2014/15 season as he helped them retain the Ranji Trophy title with 1158 first-class runs at 50.34, including three hundreds and six fifties.
The rise of promising youngsters like KL Rahul and Karun Nair, however, saw him move down the pecking order and with his chances continuing to be on the decline, as was evident when he was dropped for Karnataka’s last league game as well as from the Twenty20 side, he has decided to try his luck elsewhere.
What’s next?
Hailing from Kodagu, Uthappa knows a fair bit of Malayalam and his acquaintance with the local language is something that has played a part in KCA seeking Uthappa as one of their outstation cricketers along with Jalaj Saxena who has been retained from the previous campaign.
With the 1996-World Cup winning coach Dav Whatmore at the helm, Kerala have set big ambitions for the upcoming season and Uthappa is someone who clearly fits the bill with his immense experience and flamboyant personality.
Extra Cover: Robin Uthappa - The forgotten man of Indian cricket
Author's take
At 31, Uthappa has little time left at the top level and with chances hard to come by with Karnataka, it is certainly a wise move from his point of view.
With vast experience under his belt, he can be a huge influence in the dressing room no matter where he ends up and Kerala will be hoping to seal the deal before anyone else comes in.
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