Robin Uthappa, the hard-hitting batter has announced his intention to retire from all forms of Indian cricket, bringing an end to a professional career in the country that spanned 20 years. The 36-year-old athlete, who announced his decision through Twitter, stated that he was excited to ‘chart a new path in his life in addition to spending more time with his young family. He also expressed his desire to spend more quality time with his family.
Robin Uthappa has played for India in 59 matches (46 One-Day Internationals and 13 Twenty20 Internationals), amassing a total of 1183 runs in international competition, and was a member of India’s prevailing T20 World Cup squad in 2007.
The rise of Robin Uthappa during the early days
Robin Uthappa, a top-order stroke maker who was rising through the ranks, established his reputation by scoring a century at the 2006 Challenger Trophy held in Mohali. In his debut One-Day International (ODI), which happened in Indore, he scored 86 runs while facing an England pace attack that included James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, and Sajid Mahmood.
He was chosen to represent India at the World Cup in 2007, which was held in the Caribbean. Although he took part in the tournament, India was chucked out in the first round. Uthappa was moved down the order to a finisher’s role later that year on India’s tour of England, where he shone with a 33-ball 47 at The Oval. This was after Uthappa had been shifted earlier in the year.
How Robin Uthappa became significant for the team
Later on, he was an important component of India’s top order during their run to the T20 World Cup in South Africa. Along the road, he also took part in a historic bowl-out triumph over Pakistan during the group stages of that tournament.
After that, Robin Uthappa fell out of favor, but he staged a few comebacks in 2014 and 2015 nonetheless. During his stint in the T20 competition, he appeared for different IPL franchises, including Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Pune Warriors India in the initial seasons of the league. Despite this, he was at the core of each of these teams.
The right-handed hitter really started earning his spot in every game during 2014, when he secured the Orange Cap during Kolkata Knight Riders’ championship season. He also had a fruitful run with the team overall during that time.
Uthappa shines in IPL too
Seven years later, KKR were on the bowling end of Uthappa’s 15-ball 31 blast, which helped Chennai Super Kings clinch their fourth Indian Premier League title at the expense of his ex-team.
In preparation for the 2022 season, CSK decided to keep him on the roster at his basic price of INR 2 crore, although he was unable to contribute much to the CSK’s success, scoring only 230 runs across 12 innings.
Robin Uthappa scored a total of 4,952 runs during the course of 205 Indian Premier League matches at a strike rate of 130.35, which included 27 half-centuries. Robin Uthappa had a first-class career that spanned 142 games, the majority of which were played for his home state of Karnataka. Over the course of those ten years, he scored 9440 runs at an average of 40.46, including 22 centuries. Furthermore, between 2013 and 2015, he was a part of a team that won the domestic treble (the Ranji Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the Irani Trophy).
