Our intensity dropped after Twenty20 win, admits Uthappa

By IANS

Chandigarh : Hard-hitting Indian batsman Robin Uthappa admitted Sunday that “intensity levels dropped and the team had very little time to recover” for the one-day international (ODI) series against Australia.


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The Indian team’s triumph at the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa last month seemed to have taken its toll on the performance against four-time World Cup champions Australia in the ongoing series.

The Indians trail the Australians 0-2 in the seven-game ODI series after three matches, the first of which was abandoned midway due to rain.

“The boys were a bit tried after the Twenty20. We got very little time to recover. The intensity levels have dropped but we are recovering now. We had very less time to plan for the Australian series,” Uthappa said here after the Indian team’s practice session at the Sector 16 Stadium here.

He agreed that after the Twenty20 victory, the side’s momentum remained the same and it took time to adjust to the 50-over format.

“It takes time and we had just 2-3 days in between,” explained Uthappa, who addressed the media as a stand-in for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, adding that the atmosphere in the team was very positive.

“You will definitely have something to see in this match. The new wicket here is good for batsmen and Indians will have a lot of responsibility in seeing the team through. We have already had two tough games and we are all ready to give our 100 per cent,” Uthappa said.

Regarding the Australian team, Uthappa agreed that the visitors had adapted well to the conditions and wickets.

“But they are not a much better team than us. We are still better than them on paper. Chandigarh has been a good hunting ground for India. We will play positively and aggressively tomorrow,” he added.

With spinner Murli Kartik being recalled from county cricket in England, Uthappa indicated that the team might play with two spinners in Monday’s fixture.

The Indian team practiced hard at the nets Sunday in a sun-bathed stadium here as a cool breeze kept things comfortable in the city through the day.

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