Robin Uthappa Announces Retirement From All Forms Of Cricket

Robin Uthappa Retirement: Uthappa was a part of the Indian squad which won the World T20 in 2007.

A file photo of Robin Uthappa

Source : AFP

Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Wednesday. Uthappa was a part of the Indian squad which won the World T20 in 2007.

The hard-hitting batsman made his debut against England in Guwahati. He went to feature in 46 ODIs, amassing a total of 934 runs, with 86 being his highest score. Uthappa went to represent India in 13 T20Is, where he mustered 249 runs at a strike-rate of 118.01.

"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 full 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 my life," Uthappa tweeted. 

Uthappa became a household name after helping India famously win a bowlout against Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. The next year, he had a poor year in international cricket and was dropped from the side.

In 2013-14, Uthappa had a superb domestic season as Karnataka completed a rare treble -- winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also had an outstanding IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2014, in which he scored 40 or more in ten successive innings and was the leading run-scorer of the tournament.

He was rewarded with a place in the Indian squad and was selected for the tour to Bangladesh for an ODI series in 2014. He made a fifty in a series of rain-interrupted matches and was out of reckoning again. 

Uthappa made another India comeback during the limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe in July-August 2015, but with modest returns.