Kerala Appoint Robin Uthappa As Captain For Limited-Overs Format

Speculations were rife that senior batsman Robin Uthappa would be given leadership role ever since he he moved to Kerala for the forthcoming season. The former Karnataka star had plied his trade for Saurashtra for the last two seasons before deciding to move to Kerala. The speculations further escalated when he led  the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) XI in his first match against Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) XI in the Captain K Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament in Bengaluru last month.

Read More: It Took Me A Month To Get Over The World Cup Final – James Neesham

Sachin Baby, who led Kerala in the last two seasons, could not play the game due to injury. But Uthappa getting the captaincy role in the game still made many speculate that the veteran would be the main man in the upcoming season. Well, the KCA, on Tuesday, ended all the speculations by naming Robin Uthappa as their captain for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Kolkata Knight Riders star will also lead the state team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament that follows the Vijay Hazare.

“Uthappa is an India international and we will like to utilise his experience in the best possible way. We have communicated our decision to coach Dav Whatmore and he has expressed no reservation. We have faith in Robin’s leadership skills and that’s why we have decided to name him captain for the shorter formats,” KCA secretary Sreejith V Nair said.

Also Read: It Took Me A Month To Get Over The World Cup Final – James Neesham

At the same time, Nair insisted that the association is yet to take a final call on who would lead the side in the Ranji Trophy. KCA will have a hard time deciding the new captain if they are planning to relieve Baby of captaincy. Baby has done really well as captain in the last two seasons, leading Kerala to the quarterfinal and the semifinal.

“We will evaluate Robin’s captaincy once both Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournaments end. Ranji Trophy is beginning only in December. So we still have time to take a decision on Kerala’s Ranji Trophy captain,” added Sreejith.

Read More: Keemo Paul Replaces Miguel Cummins For Second Test Against India

Uthappa is one of the most experienced cricketer in the country right now. He led Karnataka to the final of the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy. The 33-year old was also part of the Karnataka side that did the double-treble, winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2013-14 and 2014-15.  But a poor outing in the 2016-17 season saw him lose his place in the team which eventually made hm switch team.