October 08, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 25, 1428

CHANDIGARH, Oct 7: Batsman Robin Uthappa denied reports on Sunday of a rift between veteran and junior members of India’s cricket team after the chief selector made a pitch for the inclusion of more youngsters.

Dilip Vengsarkar had put the senior players on notice on Saturday, saying there were young players on the fringe who were raring to make it onto the team and make their places count.

Uthappa, himself a talented 21-year-old, denied Vengsarkar’s comments had caused any problems ahead of the fourth match of the one-day series with Australia, which the home team is trailing 2-0.

“There is absolutely nothing like a senior versus junior thing in the team. It’s all in the media. Everyone is enjoying themselves in the dressing room and it’s amazing to be part of this team,” he told reporters.

Uthappa also admitted that the team’s intensity had dropped amidst the euphoria over the triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa last month.

“All of us were a bit knackered up after the Twenty20 victory. It was difficult to shift gears and our intensity level dropped,” he said.—AFP