Swashbuckling Indian batter Robin Uthappa has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket today.
In an emotional letter on Twitter, Uthappa apprised his fans of his decision and revealed that he is looking forward to a new phase in his life. It should be noted that he has retired from Indian cricket and is still available to take up assignments in overseas leagues.
“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,” he posted on Twitter.
“It’s been 20 years since I started playing professional cricket, and it has been the greatest honour to represent my country and state, Karnataka- a wonderful journey of ups and downs; one that has been fulfilling, rewarding, enjoyable and has allowed me to grow as a human being. 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. While I will spend a significant time with my young family, I look forward to charting a new phase in life,” he further said.
“I take this opportunity to thank the President, Secretary and the office bearers of the BCCI for their support and encouragement throughout my cricket career. I would also like to thank Karnataka State Cricket Association, Saurashtra Cricket Association and Kerala Cricket Association for the honour of representing respective states during the course of my career,” he continued.
Expressing his appreciation further to the teams that he had turned up for, he said, “I would like to express my gratitude to the IPL team I represented – MI, RCB, PWI and RR. A special mention to KKR & CSK for all the wonderful memories and support my family and I received during my time with them – something I will cherish.”
Uthappa, who was a member of India’s 2004 Under-19 World Cup team, made his first international appearance in 2006 and played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is and was part of the T20 World Cup winning team in 2007 in South Africa. He also won the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and with Chennai Super Kings in 2021 apart from several domestic titles with Karnataka.
Uthappa began his domestic career in 2002-03 with Karnataka and last played for Kerala in the 2020-21 season. He also represented Saurashtra during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. He played 142 first-class matches, scoring 9446 runs with 22 centuries while averaging nearly 41, and scored another 6534 runs with 16 hundreds in 203 one-day games at an average of 35.31. In 291 T20 games, the last of which he played in the 2022 IPL for Super Kings, he scored 7272 runs while striking at 133.08.