Mumbai: Newly appointed Mumbai Indians batting coach Robin Uthappa believes the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions must regain the trust of their supporters and rediscover their winning ways after a disappointing run in recent seasons.
Uthappa, who began his IPL career with Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2008, said the franchise must embrace its underdog status and work towards restoring its reputation as one of the competition's most formidable teams.
"Today, we find ourselves back in that similar situation right now where the trust of the fans needs to be earned again. We come in again as underdogs. It's been one full cycle, and we're back to where we started again, which is nice," Uthappa told the franchise's website.
Uthappa Wants MI To Dominate Away
The former India batter said he wanted MI to command the same respect at away venues as they do at their home ground, the Wankhede Stadium.
"We're a force to reckon with at home. I want to take that same emotion, that same energy to every venue away from home. My goal would be to make sure that that sense of intimidation that teams feel when they come to Mumbai Indians, to the Paltan, I want them to feel that same intimidation when we go away from home as well," he said.
Uthappa said he was looking forward to playing a role in rebuilding the bond between the team and its passionate supporters, popularly known as the Paltan.
Focus On Domestic Talent
Developing domestic cricketers and helping them gain clarity about their roles will be among Uthappa's priorities as batting coach.
"I would love to empower domestic cricketers and help them get clarity. That's one of the most important aspects that the young cricketers need at this point in time, clarity of what they want to do, how they want to do it, and what is the process by which they're going to achieve those aspects," he said.
Uthappa emphasised that coaching also involves emotional investment in players' progress.
Recalling how a cricketer he mentored earned selection to India's Test squad, he said, "I remember when one of the lads I was working with and mentoring got picked up in the Indian Test squad, it felt like I got selected. It felt that emotional."
A Special Homecoming
Describing his appointment as destiny, Uthappa said returning to the franchise where he began his IPL journey was particularly satisfying.
"Incredible, and it just feels like destiny, to be honest. As in, I started my IPL career with Mumbai Indians and I start my IPL coaching career with Mumbai Indians, which seems like destiny to me," he said in a video shared by MI on social media.
Uthappa also recalled the excitement of joining MI in 2008 and getting an opportunity to share the dressing room with his childhood hero Sachin Tendulkar.
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He scored 320 runs in 14 matches during the inaugural IPL season.
Uthappa represented six IPL franchises and won titles with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and Chennai Super Kings in 2021.
The former India wicketkeeper-batter played 46 One-Day Internationals and 13 Twenty20 Internationals between 2005 and 2015, besides scoring 4,952 runs during his IPL career.
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