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.

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“Right now, I want to be competitive. I still have that fire burning in me, I really want to compete and do well,” Uthappa told ESPNcricinfo. “I honestly believe I have a World Cup left in me, so I’m pursuing that, especially the shortest format. The blessings of Lady Luck or God or whatever you call it, plays a massive factor. Especially in India, it becomes so much more evident.

[caption id=”attachment_105239″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″] Robin Uthappa has been a regular in the IPL despite being in and out of the India side[/caption]

“You can never write yourself off. You would be unfair to yourself if you write yourself off, especially if you believe you have the ability and you know that there is an outside chance. So I still believe in that outside chance. I still believe that things can go my way and I probably can be a part of a World Cup-winning team and play an integral role in that as well. Those dreams are still alive and I think I’ll keep playing cricket till that is alive.”

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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.”