It was once again an opener who walked away with the Man of the Match award in the VIVO Indian Premier League 2016. Chasing 139 runs against Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders’ knight in shining armour was Robin Uthappa (53 off 28 balls), who helped his team to their third win of the season. “It may have seemed a sub-par score but the target was tricky”, said the prolific run-scorer who scored at a brisk pace while the rest of the batsmen were made to earn their runs. While discussing his knock with IPLT20.COM later, Uthappa threw light on the game plan for openers in T20. Excerpts from the interview: What has been the key to your consistency while opening the batting for KKR? I think a lot goes with feeling about the way I bat. I feel very sorted, very clear in my head what my game plan is. As far as technique is concerned I feel very sorted (and) so I feel very confident about my game. There are no doubts, so there is a huge sense of clarity in my head and I feel very confident when I go out to bat. I am not worried about if my technique is okay or not because I am constantly feeling good because I have worked on my technique. I continue to work on my technique and my batting so I am feeling good all the time. That’s something that I am grateful for and things are going well and it’s not broken so I am not trying to fix anything. I am continuing to do what I am doing and it’s working for me. You made batting look very easy today. What was it like out there today? (In) The first innings it was holding on just a little bit and I think as the day went on it got slightly easier. I think after they rolled the wicket after the first innings it got slightly better to bat on. I wouldn’t say completely better, but it was still holding on, but wasn’t gripping as much as the first innings. And generally on this wicket it gets better to bat on in the second innings. So that’s why we thought it was better to field. Good for us that Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) won the toss and we decided to field. I just think that when it is a 130-140-run chase you tend to hang back a little bit sometimes. And I knew that these are those middle scores where sometimes it can catch you off-guard. So I knew that it was important for us to get off to a good start. I knew that if we get off to slightly good start where we got 25-30 in the first three-four overs we would put them on the back-foot and then we could dominate as we would be creating momentum. And with Gauti and I, I think we kind of understand each other very well and we just carry that forward. After you got out the flow of runs slowed down again. Do you also think that spinners made the difference? Spinners played a big role on this wicket. It was a bit of a surprise. It was a dry wicket, not the kind that you are used to seeing in Mohali. When you come to Mohali you expect a wicket which seams around just a touch, which is fresh, little hard wicket. It wasn’t a regular Mohali wicket so for me it was something that was slightly different. Has maintaining the same core group played a role in KKR’s success? Yes definitely! It’s the fact that we have not changed too much. We stick to the same core. I think credit must be give to the franchise for picking the right kind of combination which helps us pick bowlers - which includes a couple of all-rounders - which work in our favour; it is a huge cushion to have. We are spoilt for choices where picking the XI is concerned. So kudos to the selection by the franchise. Do you think the openers have a game plan now across the board while playing T20? Has the T20 batting been decoded? Yes (there is a game plan). I wouldn’t say decoded. I think that the batsmen have become cognisant of the fact that you need to understand the wicket, what’s available on that day and what shots you can play on the day. When you are batting second you get an understanding of how the wicket is going to be playing. In India you know which wickets play better in the first innings and which in the second innings; where it is good to bat first and where it is good to bat second. You have an understanding of the way the wicket plays in different venues. So, for example you know that in Mumbai it is better to chase and also in Eden Gardens and Bangalore – you can run down big totals. So you know a lot of these games are going to be based on the toss as well so that also plays a big role. And one also tends to understand that you don’t really need to play the big shots, you just need to sustain yourself with taking eight-nine runs in an over. And if you can sustain that for the first six overs you can get around 45-50 runs in the first six overs (and) you set a solid foundation, you need to capitalise on it. In T20 cricket when one of the top three or four batsmen tend to score 75 (or) more and stay not out, that team generally tends to win. So at the end of the day as an opening batsman you are looking to do that - to hold and anchor one end and make sure everyone rotates at the other end. Two sharp pouches with the gloves. How challenging was it to keep on this pitch? Yeah! It was gripping just a little bit and I also think that the rustiness is all wearing off from my ‘keeping. I haven’t been ‘keeping on a regular basis and I tend to practice a month before the IPL begins. So it’s about match practice. There is nothing as good as match practice. I think I am getting better with each game. So I am grateful for that.