His talent has never been in doubt, but a questionable temperament has often been viewed as a hindrance to Robin Uthappa's progress at the highest level. On a sunny evening at The Oval, Uthappa expunged the doubts about his will to swim against the odds.

When the Bangalore lad came out to bat at an number seven, India needed 83 runs from 9.4 overs. That it was also Uthappa's first international in nearly two months added only to the pressure on his young shoulders.

There was a big-hitter in Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the other end, but the English bowlers tied him up with clever bowling. But Uthappa did not get bogged down, choosing to take the bull by its horns.

He started with a deft tap off Monty Panesar to deep fine-leg, something he did with a great degree of success subsequently in his innings -- which sealed the fate of the match in favour of India -- of 47 not out that made a mockery of England skipper Paul Collingwood's careful field settings.

In fact, six off his eight boundaries came through fine-leg or square-leg. The wisdom he showed in his shot selection made it clear that Uthappa has matured as a cricketer in recent months.

Twenty20 precursor

Uthappa said his preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup had helped him a lot during the course of his innings. "I have been practising different shots for the Twenty20 World Cup, and they all clicked for me today. Fine-leg was up, I realised that they were going to bowl yorkers.

“So I decided to hit straight down the ground or take it on the full and hit it over fine-leg, and the strategy worked for me today," he said.

Uthappa's canny shot-selection prompted Indian skipper Rahul Dravid to praise his young State-mate and junior at St Joseph's Indian High School as a player blessed with power and a good cricketing acumen in equal measure.

England skipper Collingwood too praised Uthappa's effort. "He played really well. He was calm in a pressure situation like that and if he continues to develop, it is good for India.

“He seems to be a cool customer. The good thing about him is that he knew his areas to score, and a little bit of luck also went his way," Collingwood said.

However, more hearty accolades were waiting for him in the dressing room. Sachin Tendulkar, who set the ball rolling with his brilliant 94, did not see Uthappa's innings as he believed that him watching the innings would result in the Bangalore boy's untimely dismissal!

Beer bath!

He was getting updates from his team-mates, but the master batsman led the beer bath given to Uthappa once he retuned to the dressing room.

Miles away, his dad Venu too could not hide his delight. "He batted well and got some runs, but more importantly, his knock helped the team win,” Uthappa senior said. Now, the onus is on Robin to build on the success.