Former India opener Robin Uthappa has raised his voice against the reported cooling-off period for retired Indian cricketers who want to feature in overseas T20 leagues, saying that it would be "uncomfortable and unfair".
The BCCI has been considering the cooling-off period which would prevent players from taking part in foreign leagues soon after their retirement. However, the governing body is yet to take an official decision over the same.
Uthappa, who called time on his international and IPL career last year, recently appeared in a T10 league in Zimbabwe. He also participated in the ILT20 in the UAE.
“I think it is human nature to feel uncomfortable about it. We do not have any central contract with the BCCI, we are not playing cricket in India anymore so it certainly does make you feel a little uncomfortable and unfair for sure,” Uthappa replied to a PTI query during an interaction organized by Jio Cinema.
“Having said that, the BCCI has certainly looked after all of us. I am certain whatever decision they take will be in the best interest of the BCCI and the players who are going to play in the IPL.
"There are certain solutions that can be reached. If there is a possibility of communication, we could reach a solution that suits everybody,” he added.
On a separate note, Uthappa said the approach of the team management and leadership would determine India’s fortunes in the shortest format.
A new-look Indian team under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy is currently playing a T20I series in West Indies, where the T20 World Cup 2024 is scheduled to take place.
“We do have a problem of plenty. There are enough people to represent the country, the quality is really high. Sometimes when you have high quality players you can have a headache, which a lot of other countries do not have,” Uthappa said.
“It is (about) how we decide to navigate through it, as a team management and what is the approach the team’s leadership group has, will be critical to India’s success in the coming years in shortest format.
"Do they want to back the youth? Do they want a combination (of young and senior players)? They need to figure out which way they are going to go,” he further stated.
Robin Uthappa, who played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is, also expressed his concerns over India’s long tail.
“They do have an issue to address in the lower-middle order because after No 7 we have a very long tail. That seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. Outside that, our spin bowlers are world-class,” Uthappa said.
“For a lot of these young boys, this tour to the West Indies, they do not know the conditions well because they have had a very little exposure to those conditions. A little patience needs to be exercised, so that they understand how each wicket on each island plays,” he further remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
