Former India batter wants to see new players given more opportunities
With the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravi Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik closer to the end of their careers than the start, Uthappa thinks the time is right for a new breed of India players to be given a chance to shine.
Uthappa, who played a key role in helping India to their only T20 World Cup title in 2007, said a host of batters with minimal international experience should be given further opportunity to earn a spot in the XI ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
"There’s certainly room for youngsters now," Uthappa wrote in his exclusive column for ICC Media Zone.
"There are a few gaps to fill in T20 cricket as far as finishers are concerned and they may have to look to the future in that sense."
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Uthappa singled out Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi as players he would like to see be given more opportunity, with the duo among the highest scorers in the most recent edition of the India Premier League.
"I’d love to see Sanju Samson and Rahul Tripathi in this side," Uthappa said.
"They are both very exciting, very good young players."
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Uthappa also sees great value in providing the chance to a pair of inexperienced bowlers ahead of the next T20 World Cup, although he doesn't expect much turnover of players to occur prior to the start of the 50-over World Cup in India next year.
"On the bowling side, I’d like to see Umran Malik and Deepak Hooda get an opportunity," he noted.
"That said I don’t think there will be too many changes in personnel for the 2023 Cricket World Cup on home soil."
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Uthappa made no excuses for India's poor performance in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup against England, saying his former team were merely outplayed on the day as they fell to a disappointing 10-wicket loss in Adelaide.
"A lot of people talk about a mental block with India and these ICC events, but I don’t buy it. Most of them play IPL which is one of the best tournaments in the world," Uthappa said.
"They are used to high-pressure situations, they aren’t novices. On these big matchdays India just haven’t turned up like they turn up in bilateral series or individually in the IPL.
"You can delve deep into it but I don’t think it will account for much. England just played much better cricket than India and handled the pressure."