Mumbai, Nov 19: With a century against Railways to his credit, Karnataka’s Robin Uthappa was dismissed for 49 in the ongoing game against Mumbai even though he looked in good nick. Having made a comeback into the India T20 team against England, the Karnataka batsman is looking to represent the side in the other formats as well.

In an exclusive chat with bcci.tv, the dynamic player spoke about Karnataka cricket, his own batting and national prospects.

On Karnataka putting Mumbai on the back-foot with seven wickets

We bowled really well on this kind of wicket [which] is slow and easy to bat on. We bowled in good areas. They play good, attacking cricket. Our bowlers worked really hard and I think [our commanding position] was a product of the hard work they put in. We are sitting pretty as of now but we still can’t take anything for granted.

On getting Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma’s wickets in the morning

[It] was very important for us. To get Rahane out in the first five overs was very crucial. We were looking to get two or three wickets in the first sessions, which we achieved. We understood the nature of the wicket so we didn’t overstretch our goals.

On the plans for the last day

Onkar [Gurav] is a good bat; he looks pretty solid at this point and on this wicket anyone who applies himself will look pretty solid. With [Abhishek] Nayar and Onkar batting it would be important for us to use the first hour and hopefully get one of them out. Hopefully we should wrap them up in the first one-and-a-half [to] two hours, if we can continue to bowl a disciplined line and pick our catches.

On Karnataka’s chances in the Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy is generally split in two versions: one is the league phase and the next is the knockout phase. For us this is the first stage and it is important to get a good start and we have been on three tours; so far all three games have been away matches. It is important for us to get off to a good start and the good thing is that all the batsmen have got runs in two games at least and the bowlers have all been amongst the wickets. This speaks volumes for the kind of team that we have and the way people are rating us. It is great for the side for all of us to be able to contribute. They say that your side is as good as your weakest link and when we look at even our bench strength, there is a lot. Each one of us is a match-winner on a particular day.

On his batting

I am feeling pretty good as a batsman. There is a lot of freedom [in] the way that I bat right now. I am going out there and being aggressive. The change that I have made is that I have stopped thinking too much. I am just trying to play cricket the way I know to play cricket, how I have played cricket in school, how I have played cricket in junior cricket […] I have just gone back to those roots, to the basics, keeping things simple and not complicating them. I enjoy hitting the ball and that’s what I am doing right now.

On being back in the T20I squad and the road ahead

It’s always been a dream to play one-day cricket again, open the batting again for India. I would love to play Test cricket. With the game that I play if I can come off well, I can always put the team in a very good position. If I can do that consistently in Ranji Trophy, god-willing the selectors will see me fit to play Test cricket some day.

On Vinay Kumar

Vinay has always been a very hardworking person. He is a great individual to have in the team. [He is a] character of sorts; fun to have in the side. He has always been someone who has worked his way up through the ranks through a lot of hard work. To be playing under him and playing alongside him, to have played with him right from the younger days, to see him come this far and perform so well is great. I’m happy for him and hope and pray he will continue to do well. It is always great to have a few Karnataka guys in the Indian side because it is motivating for the guys who are playing in the Ranji Trophy.

On Rahul Dravid

He’s been a huge source of inspiration. He is like the typical role model any kid would want to have. Growing up we all had him and [Anil] Kumble and [Javagal] Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, the likes of them as role models. I think our team is a byproduct of that. Idolising players like that, having examples of those stature at close quarters, to have them interact with us consistently is great. It inspires and motivates us to go out there and have the same kind of work ethic, focus, single-minded nature towards the game, to have that camaraderie in the team. It helps and enhances all.