Former Indian stalwart Robin Uthappa has decided to hang his boots from all formats of cricket on Wednesday. The veteran took to Twitter and announced his decision to call time on his illustrious career. Uthappa was one of the crucial cogs for India in the T20 World Cup 2007 win. A three-time IPL champion, and a former orange cap winner, Uthappa made his international debut against England in 2006.
Sharing two written notes, as well as his iconic image of celebrating by bowing down after the bowl-out against Pakistan, Robin Uthappa wrote, “It has been my greatest honour to represent my country and my state, Karnataka. However, all good things must come to an end, and with a grateful heart, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket. Thank you all.”
It has been my greatest honour to represent my country and my state, Karnataka. However, all good things must come to an end, and with a grateful heart, I have decided to retire from all forms of Indian cricket.
Thank you all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GvWrIx2NRs
— Robin Aiyuda Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) September 14, 2022
The cricketer will be best remembered for being part of India’s maiden T20 World Cup winning squad in 2007 in South Africa. He was known for his aggressive brand of cricket and helped MS Dhoni a lot in the initial days of the latter’s captaincy with his batting performances.
One of his most telling contributions in international cricket was a knock of 50 runs in the group match against Pakistan in the 2007 T20 World Cup. He returned to hit the stumps in a “bowl out” after the match had ended in a tie. His celebration in which he took his cap off and took a bow remains etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans.
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Recalling the incident, Robin Uthappa said, “I remember after we tied that game, we went to the dressing room and got to know that it’s a ‘bowl out’, I went straight to MS (Dhoni), and I said- ‘Bro, I’ve to bowl,’ and he didn’t even bat an eyelid. He just said yeah, ok, you’ll bowl. And for me when I look back at it in retrospect makes me understand the kind of leader he was. He is the kind of guy when you’re really sure about your skills and your own ability, he backs it. And he backed it in his first game as captain.”
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❌ @SAfridiOfficial#OnThisDay in 2007 India v Pakistan at #WT20 finished in a tie… and India won the bowl-out! pic.twitter.com/sN2dZMyLN2— ICC (@ICC) September 14, 2018
Robin Uthappa has been one of the premier players in limited-overs cricket, having played 46 ODIs and 13 T20s. He could never justify his full potential at the top level for India, averaging 25 in the ODIs. Despite his prowess in Ranji Trophy for Karnataka, he never got a chance to wear India’s cap in the longest format of the game. At the FC level, he managed to score 9446 runs. In List A, he had 6534 runs under his belt.
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In domestic cricket, Robin Uthappa represented Karnataka, Saurashtra, and Kerala, respectively. He was also a part of the Chennai Super Kings franchise that won the 2021 IPL title and was also an integral part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team that had won the title in 2012 and 2014 under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy.
