IPL 2021: Robin Uthappa Is No Lesser Player Than Suresh Raina, CSK Should Stick With Him - Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir was happy with Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) decision to give Robin Uthappa another chance against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2021 season. Gambhir feels Uthappa is as good as Suresh Raina and should be given a longer rope.
Uthappa is playing just his second match this season and has been warming the bench otherwise. Raina, on the other hand, had a good start to IPL 2021 but faltered soon after. He was eventually dropped by CSK and Uthappa was brought into the fray.
“You’ve given Raina a long rope. You’ve got Uthappa, good that you’ve given him another game. You should probably continue with him because he’s no lesser player than Raina. He’s not a rookie, he himself has loads of talent and experience. Persist with him irrespective of how he performs,” Gambhir said in a conversation with ESPNcricinfo.
“Robin Uthappa looked comfortable unlike Suresh Raina” – Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir further stated that the CSK middle order looks quite shaky because of Raina’s poor form. Therefore, they needed to look past Raina and start giving the others a chance to prove their worth. If faith is shown in Uthappa, he can deliver in the future, as per Gambhir.
“Hopefully, he [Uthappa] can deliver for them because their middle-order is still very vulnerable. Whatever I saw of him in the previous game, he looked comfortable unlike Raina against Mumbai Indians (MI). Uthappa was far more assured and as a captain, you wanna go with the player who is assured compared to someone who has done well in the past,” Gambhir said.
Uthappa scored 19 (19) in his first match of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC). He has been included in CSK’s playing XI for their final league match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) today.
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