Durban, Jan. 9 -- A soft smile emerged on Robin Uthappa's face as he was transported 19 years back to the 2007 T20 World Cup at the mere mention of Durban by a small group of Indian journalists assembled at Kingsmead on Wednesday. The venue, nestled in the heart of a city often dubbed 'Mini India' due to its sizable population of subcontinental origin, holds a special place in Indian cricketing history.

It was here that MS Dhoni and his men played four matches en route to their historic World Cup triumph in 2007, including the iconic bowl-out victory over Pakistan, the last drawn T20I at the venue, and Yuvraj Singh's unforgettable six sixes. Uthappa was an integral part of that young side.

On Wednesday, however, the 40-year-old, who ret...