“They made me lie down in this car called Maruti Omni” - Robin Uthappa shares fascinating incident from Challenger Trophy 2005

Former India batter Robin Uthappa revealed a fascinating incident from the Challenger Trophy in 2005. During a game in the tournament, he struck a brilliant hundred but suffered from severe cramps.

Uthappa shared how he had struck a match-winning century and came into the limelight. However, he stated that he had to be taken to the hospital after the match. The 40-year-old revealed how he was taken off in a Maruti Omni van and made to lie on the floor of the vehicle.

It was a horrifying experience for Robin Uthappa as he had to be put on drips for the cramps to ease eventually.

"It was the Challenger Trophy. That's how I came into the limelight. I ended up going to the hospital after the game because I was cramping everywhere. There wasn't a part of my body that was not rung out. They made lie down in this car called the Maruti Omni. I was on the floor because nothing worked. They just put ice packs and tried to open up the cramps and put the drips in. All the knots started releasing," he said on his YouTube channel.

He had smashed 116 runs off just 93 balls in that match for India B against India A. His stellar knock included 19 fours and two maximums at a strike-rate of 124.73. Notably, Uthappa had retired not out once while he was batting on 107. He returned to bat later on but could not add a lot to his score.

Although he was dismissed and suffered from the pain, his knock was enough to help India B secure a win. He was even named 'Player of the Match' as his team entered the final.

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Robin Uthappa made his India debut after the Challenger Trophy 2005

As mentioned by Robin Uthappa, his brilliant performance in the Challenger Trophy 2005 put him in the limelight. He went on to make his international debut for India in 2006.

It was in an ODI against England at Indore. Uthappa impressed on his debut, making 86 runs off 96 balls while opening the batting. India went on to win the match as well. A year later, in 2007, he even made his T20I debut in a match against Scotland at Durban during the T20 World Cup. Unfortunately for Uthappa, the game was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

However, Robin Uthappa was part of the Indian team that went on to win the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. He played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India in his international career.