'He told me I don't directly walk into his playing XI' - Robin Uthappa on first conversation with MS Dhoni after joining CSK

Chennai Super Kings batter Robin Uthappa recently opened up on his first conversation with MS Dhoni last year after being transferred in from the Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2021 season. Uthappa played just four games last season towards the back end of the tournament and was benched for the first part of the tournament. He impressed straightway with 115 runs in four games and played a handy knock of 43-ball 64 against Delhi Capitals in the qualifier one as well.

In the mega auction 2022, Uthappa was brought back by the Chennai Super Kings for his base price of INR 2 Crores and he played at number three in the first game and scored a 21-ball 28 in a low scoring game. He continued his good touch after moving to the top of the order with a half-century in the next game and scored 13 in the third game against Punjab Kings. The veteran batter has been one of the few positives for CSK this season as he recalled the times when he arrived in CSK setup.

They told me that I might have to wait for my turn: Robin Uthappa

Uthappa mentioned that he liked Dhoni being honest with him that the 36-year-old might not walk into the CSK playing XI directly and will have to wait until how the tournament goes. He added that the CSK coaching setup showed a lot of care and noted how they had kept him in a good frame of mind even if he wasn’t playing.

“One thing I liked in that conversation with MS Dhoni was that on the same day he told me that as of now, I don’t directly walk into his playing XI. We will see where it goes in a couple of months but I am not thinking about it at this point in time. When I came, they told me that I might have to wait for my turn. What was really nice was that after that once every 4-5 days, one coach or the other would come and speak to me,” Uthappa told on R Ashwin’s youtube channel.

Uthappa will be looking to make the most out of the opportunities that might come his way throughout the season and he has got the perfect start so far to build it up in the next few games. CSK meanwhile, has lost three games in a row and is desperate to get points on board in IPL 2022.