'Karun Nair Alienated Me Because of...' – Former India cricketer breaks silence on Karnataka exit

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has opened up about being dropped and eventually leaving Karnataka after the 2016-17 domestic season. The right-handed batter shared the episode on the YouTube podcast First Umpire, explaining how his comments were misunderstood to be about Karun Nair, which prompted the latter to distance himself from him.

The 39-year-old recalled that after a match in Mumbai during the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, he gave an interview explaining his disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to play Test cricket for India while saying some seemed to get a red shirt too easily.

He revealed that a teammate told Karun Nair that the remarks were aimed at him, and since the latter did not clarify the misunderstanding, he began keeping his distance. He said, “There was an interview. At that point, I was trying to get into the Test team. I was frustrated because despite performing well, I wasn’t even being considered. Maybe all of those emotions came out in the conversation. I said in the interview that Test caps were being given away too easily and that some people really needed to earn them rather than just being given them freely.”

“Someone from our team took that piece of interview and told Karun Nair that I had said it about him. Karun Nair, who was like a younger brother, alienated me at that time because he was close to getting a Test cap. He didn’t check with me and believed it. A few days later, some infighting started. When the interview came out, since it was in Bombay, and Bombay loves to dominate domestic cricket, the media there even portrayed it in a way that could be perceived as if I was talking about Karun. Karun believed it and distanced himself from me.”

“Not a Single Person Stood Up for Me”

Uthappa added that when the team qualified for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, a meeting was held in which he was accused of disrupting the team, and he revealed that not a single teammate spoke up in his defense. He said, “Later, there was a meeting in Karnataka. Generally, when we qualified for the quarterfinals, I had this habit of getting everyone together, inviting them home, sharing a meal and drinks, and building team unity. Before I could invite them home, there was a meeting in the stadium. I was called up and told I was breaking up the team and creating issues. Vijay Sir was in that meeting. I told Vijay Sir, ‘If anyone here feels I am breaking the team, raise your hand. If even one person does, I will stop playing for Karnataka right now.’ Not a single person raised their hand.”

See Also: India likely to rest star pacer vs Oman in ongoing Asia Cup 2025: Report

“It was just an orchestrated attack on me because I had won the trust of the team, and the boys came to me with their issues. That was working, but after I stood up for the team, no one stood up for me. I felt very let down. Combined with Karun feeling I was against him, that hurt me because he was like a younger brother. I wanted nothing more than for players like Karun, Rahul, and Manish to succeed and play for India. I felt really let down by the team because not even one person stood up for me.” Later that season, Robin Uthappa was omitted from Karnataka's 16-man squad for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu. Vinay Kumar’s team went on to lose the match by seven wickets.