Robin Uthappa is a cricket player, who was born on November 11, 1985 in Kodagu, Karnataka, India. His father, Venu Uthappa, was an international hockey referee and his mother, Roselyn, a Keralite (from Kozhikode), is a home maker.
Being a talented right-handed batsman, Robin Uthappa represented the India cricket team in the Under-19 level. Though Robin Uthappa loves to be an opening batsman, he batted on all three levels of batting order (lower, middle and top) for India.
He is yet to begin his Test career, but is equipped to become an all-rounder in cricket, as he is a good right-arm medium pace bowler and he has also tried wicket-keeping in a few matches.
On April 15, 2006, Robin Uthappa made his first One Day International (ODI) appearance for India against the England team as an opening batsman. By scoring 86 runs, he became the first Indian cricketer to have made the highest total in an ODI debut match. He was an integral part of the Indian ODI squad, which played against the West Indies in January 2007. His brilliant batting kept the scoreboard moving as he went on to make 70 runs of 41 balls in the ODI series match against West Indies. During March-April 2007, Robin Uthappa was a part of the fifteen-member team that went to West Indies to play at the Cricket World Cup 2007. Coming in to bat in the number seven position at the sixth ODI of the NatWest Series 2007-08, Robin Uthappa batted remarkably well to fetch 47 runs from 33 balls in the crucial time of the match. Owing to his outstanding performances, India won the match at the seven-match series in England.
Robin Uthappa played a pivotal role in India’s victory over Pakistan on September 14, 2007 in the Twenty20 (T20) World Cup at Durban. By scoring 50 out of 39 balls, he became the first Indian to score a 50 in a T20 international match.
As an India B player, Robin Uthappa made 66 runs against the India A team in the 2005 Challenger Trophy and his 93 runs off 100 balls helped his side to win the match in the Challenger Trophy 2006. With a strike rate of approximately 90 and a batting average closer to 40, Robin Uthappa is considered a limited-overs cricket specialist and is aptly nicknamed ‘The Walking Assasin’.
He represented the Mumbai Indians team at the Indian Premier League (IPL) of 2008 season. Robin Uthappa played 14 IPL matches scoring 320 runs with a strike rate of 114.7 and a highest score of 48. His runs’ tally includes 35 boundaries and 8 sixes.
