RANJI TROPHY NEWS

Uthappa joins Saurashtra for 2017-18 season

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Uthappa ended his 15-year association with Karnataka in June earlier this year. © BCCI

In a major boost to Saurashtra, Robin Uthappa has signed up with the Jaydev Shah-led side for the upcoming Indian domestic season, after ending his 15-year association with Karnataka earlier in June.

With Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja mostly unavailable due to national commitments, Uthappa's presence, coupled with his experience, will add steel to the Saurashtra side.

"Robin Uthappa has completed all necessary formalities to BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India], Saurashtra Cricket Association [SCA] and Karnataka State Cricket Association [KSCA]," SCA media manager Himanshu Shah said in a statement, confirming the switch on Thursday (August 10). "Saurashtra Cricket Association welcomes Robin Uthappa. SCA feels confident that Robin will add up strength to strong Ranji Team of Saurashtra with his vast experience and commendable performance."

Uthappa was a long time servant of Karnataka, having made his debut for them in the 2002-03 season. But a below par 2016-17 Ranji season, where he was left out of the side for the last league game and the quarterfinal, seemed to have been the final straw as he opted to move out of his home state.

Even though the KSCA tried their best to retain Uthappa, all efforts proved futile. Consequently, the NOC was granted on June 17. "I had a long chat with Robin and he had his reasons for moving out," R Sudhakar Rao, the KSCA secretary, had said at the time. "We tried to hold him back but couldn't, so we had to issue the NOC as per his request."

As soon as Uthappa made up his mind to leave, there were a couple of states interested in the Coorgi lad. Kerala and Vidarbha were linked to him, but the wicketkeeper-batsman has decided to play for Saurashtra, thereby becoming their professional recruitment for the 2017-18 season.

Uthappa, who has played for India in both ODIs and T20Is, was an integral member of the 2007 World Cup winning side led by MS Dhoni. But inconsistent performances post that forced the selectors to drop him. Uthappa last played for India during the limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe in July-August 2015 and didn't do enough there to warrant another recall.

Despite not being a part of the recent Indian setup, Uthappa has been a key member of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. His partnership with Gautam Gambhir at the top proved productive as he helped KKR win the IPL after joining them in 2014. He was the leading run-scorer in the season and also notched up 10 consecutive scores of 40 or more.

In a career spanning 15 years for Karnataka, Uthappa played many roles for his side, including taking the gloves back again for the 2015-16 season, in an attempt to return to the national team. Uthappa had even stated his desire to be a backup to Dhoni back then.

Some of Uthappa's memorable moments with Karnataka involve him leading the side to Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai in 2009-10, only to lose a thriller by six runs. He was a member of the winning team in the 2013-14 season, and the following season, along with becoming the only domestic team to win the treble. Uthappa was also a key member of the side that returned to defend all three titles next season.

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