One of the heroes of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning side from India, former opener Robin Uthappa, announced his retirement from all “Indian cricket” on Wednesday. Uthappa, 36, who last represented India in 2015, announced it on his social media accounts.
“It has been an absolute privilege for me to represent my nation and my state of Karnataka. But since everything good must come to an end, I’ve decided to leave all facets of Indian cricket. I want to thank everyone. It was mentioned on Twitter by Uthappa.
“Representing my country and the state of Karnataka has been an enormous honor for me ever since I started playing professionally 20 years ago. It has been a fantastic journey full of ups and downs, but it has also helped me to develop as a person. But since everything good must come to an end, I’ve decided to leave all facets of Indian cricket. Although I will spend a lot of time with my small family, I am eager to start a new part of my life”.
He also expressed gratitude to the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, his current and past IPL teams. Uthappa played 12 games for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL last year and amassed 230 runs, with an average of 88. However, Chennai will not advance to the playoff rounds.
Uthappa was a member of the nation’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 2004. He played in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India after making his debut two years later.
Uthappa was sacked shortly after the 2007 T20 World Cup due to poor play. He gained worldwide recognition in 2006 with to his aggressive batting style. He completed a rare treble with Karnataka, who won the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Cup, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2013–14 season, the year before he played his final few games for India. He then had a successful IPL season for Knight Riders in 2014, finishing the campaign as the competition’s top run-scorer with a total of 660 runs at a strike rate of 138.
He was rewarded with a return to the Indian team for tours of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in 2014 and 2015, but the meager profits forced him to leave once more. He was the season’s leading run scorer in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy, which saw Karnataka become the first domestic side to repeat as champions.