When discussing the presence of veterans in the Indian T20I team, Robin Uthappa didn't hold back.
When Team India begins its T20 World Cup campaign next month, its goal will be to break the nation's 11-year ICC title drought. The Indian side will be captained by Rohit Sharma, with Hardik Pandya as his deputy. Notable players in the squad include returning wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and star batsman Virat Kohli. The omission of Rinku Singh, who had been a regular in Twenty20 international cricket for the previous year, was more startling than Shubman Gill, the outstanding opener for India, not finding a spot in the 15-man World Cup roster.
During the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans pre-match show, former Indian batter Robin Uthappa made reference to the matter. The Titans finished the season with 12 points, while the Sunrisers secured a postseason berth. The game was washed out. The prolonged postponement made it possible for veteran cricket players, such as Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, and Shubman Gill, to talk in-depth about the performances of some of the young players from both teams during the JioCinema event.
When Uthappa was granted a chance to play following the withdrawal of several veteran players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Anil Kumble, the former all-rounder from New Zealand, Scott Styris, reminded him of the 2007 T20 World Cup. After the forthcoming T20 World Cup, the former cricket player from New Zealand questioned Uthappa on whether the current Indian seniors in the T20I team should follow.
Although Uthappa gave in to Styris, he maintained that the action ought to have been taken following the 2022 competition. India had fallen short against eventual champion England in the edition's semi-finals.
“I'm gonna catch a lot of flak for this, but I'll take it. I think they should've moved on after the previous World Cup itself,” Uthappa noted.
"I think the youngsters should've played in this World Cup. The senior players have had their go, and these guys are showing true potential. The fact that they've been performing in the IPL consistently... a lot of these guys who are performing now, the likes of Shubman Gill should be there.
“He (Gill) should be part of any World Cup right now. The potential, the ability, the hunger he has got in his own game and what he wants to achieve is tremendous. The opportunity for all of that should be present. They should get the opportunity at the highest stage, like the World Cup,” Uthappa remarked.