Robin Uthappa wants to see Virat Kohli play T10 cricket

If one thought that the T20 format is the last word in the world of slam-bang cricket, it’s time to think again. A T10 League, launched in the UAE in 2017, has now gone global with its avatar of the US Masters T10 League coming to an end in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday. 

The event, won by the Texas Chargers, attracted an impressive array of former big names including Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, and Harbhajan Singh among its Indian recruits. Uthappa, who played in the IPL till last season and was a member of M.S. Dhoni's T20 World Cup-winning India in 2007, has a dream to popularise this exciting format: to watch Virat Kohli play it.

‘’I certainly would love to see the Virat Kohlis of the world playing this version of the game, because I think it would add so much more value. I think he’s probably one of the greatest ODI players we’ve ever seen in our lives. And I think that he would discover different aspects of his own game when he plays this version of the game,’’ said Uthappa, a top scorer in IPL 2014. 

Uthappa, who played for Atlanta Riders, told the event's media team: ‘’I think T10 is here to stay. I think this version of the game is extremely entertaining for the viewer. Secondly, I think it opens up a different aspect of cricket that would add a lot of value to T20 cricket. So, I do hope that at some point, it gets introduced in India and the current cricketers can play this format of the game." 

Gambhir, a two-time World Cup winner and one of the finest openers of Indian cricket, felt that ‘’every ball is an event’’ in this format. “60 balls, every ball is an event, whether it’s for the bowlers or for the batters, and you want to try and take as many options as you can,” said Gambhir, who captained the New Jersey Tritons.  

Incidentally, Texas Chargers, led by Ben Dunk, defeated Misbah-ul-Haq-led New York Warriors via Super Over in the final at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill.  

Meanwhile, Season VI of Abu Dhabi T10 will be held from November 24 to December 9, following which the next destination will be Sri Lanka for Lanka T10 Season 1 from December 12 to 23 later this year.