Uthappa made his international debut in 2006, but hasn’t been a regular member of the Indian outfit after the initial few years, only making transient comebacks from time to time.

However, he has been a regular feature in the Indian Premier League, and while his performances haven’t quite dared the selectors to overlook him, with several members having jumped ahead in the queue, Uthappa maintains a firm belief that a door may open up in the future if he is lucky enough.

Though he began his career as a top-order batsman, Uthappa is no stranger to batting in the middle order, having played in several positions though his career. However, he is most comfortable when he is opening the innings and wants to challenge himself by fine-tuning his finishing skills, which is an area in the Indian team where he believes he can add value.

“I’m actually missing practice really bad right now because that was one of the aspects I was working on,” he said, “and I felt like I was beginning to get somewhere. Because you know it’s a process. These kinds of things don’t just turn up on their head. You need to work on it and get better at it on a day to day, week to week, month to month basis. I felt like I was getting places. A small kind of sweet spot. God willing, I believe it will happen at some point in time.”