Robin Uthappa never scored an international century but even if he had, the cover image of his biography would have to be the moment he hit the bull's eye to win India a thrilling bowl-out in a high-octane clash against Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007.
Better still, he tipped his cap to the audience after doing the honours, and there can't be a better moment to return the favour as a cricket fan than now when he has decided to walk away into the sunset.
Starting With a Bang
The thing that strikes you about Uthappa's career right off the bat is that both his highest scores in one-day internationals and T20Is came on his debut.
He struck a crucial 39-ball 50 against Pakistan in the 2007 T20 World Cup – the only batter among the top four to reach double figures and then did his thing in the bowl-out to help India advance to the final and make history.
In ODI cricket as well, he smashed 86 against England at Indore while opening the batting on debut after being tasked with the unenviable job of filling in Virender Sehwag's shoes after a good run in domestic cricket.
He opened the batting alongside Rahul Dravid and missed the elusive international ton via a run-out.
His most memorable knock in international cricket though has to be his unbeaten blitz against England at The Oval in 2007 as India chased down a record 317-run target in the last over.
It might not seem like much in this day and age but for Robin to smash 47 not out off just 33 balls, playing as a specialist batter at number 7, was a delight.
Uthappa struck at 142.42 in the challenging role of a finisher and struck eight boundaries, most of which came down the ground and all of which left the Indian spectators dancing in the aisles.
Good Starts No Good for Robbie
Unfortunately, it was this very flamboyance and intent which saw him falling out of favour from the Indian side at a time when the batting average was held in much higher regard than the strike rate.
Uthappa looked a million dollars while at the crease and got fluent starts but wasn't able to convert them due to his attacking nature and his penchant to hit the ball in the air.
“What I saw disgusted me,” Uthappa said in an interview to the Open magazine, talking about the lowest phase of his life around 2011.
“I was 25 then but looked between 38 and 40. I was fat. I was losing hair. I had this grumpy, sleepy expression on my face and was not in a good place whatsoever. Four years had passed since I last played for India and I had become an extremely bitter person,” he said.
“Not just as an athlete, I’d become bitter as a human being. I had become someone who didn’t enjoy the success of other people. I saw my own growth in the failure of others. I hated [being] that person. I was like, ‘Who am I? This is not who I am.'”
Uthappa did make a comeback to the Indian side in 2014 and 2015 after a good run in the IPL and topping the run charts in the 2014-2015 Ranji trophy season for Karnataka but could not leave behind a legacy as an India International.
Truth be told, he was a much bigger phenomenon in IPL than he was in international cricket.
Be it his breakout IPL years in 2012 and 2013 or his orange cap winning performance in 2014, which played a major role in taking Kolkata Knight Riders to the title, Uthappa was among the leading Indian batters in the IPL in his peak years.
However, after a poor season in 2019, KKR decided to release him ahead of the IPL 2020 auctions and many thought that Uthappa's career was all but over.
It was credit to his hard work and bull-headedness that he built up his reputation from scratch once again after sparkling in domestic cricket and being picked by Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021.
The stylish batter showed his class and experience in the playoffs with a 44-ball 63 in Qualifier 1 and a 15-ball 31 in the all-important final.
Saving the Best for the Last
Contrary to his international record, his most sublime performance in the IPL came right at the fag end of his career. Fighting indifferent form, he played his career-best knock, a 50-ball 88 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 22nd match of IPL 2022.
Uthappa added 165 runs with Shivam Dube to record the highest third-wicket partnership in IPL history.
The whirlwind knock had all the attributes of a Uthappa special: immaculate timing, the ball pinging off the bat like a knife through molten butter, the ability to take both pacers and spinners (mystery or no mystery) to the cleaners with equal intent and success, the loft, the pose, the equanimity, and an unmistakable authority.
The litmus test for ascertaining the quality of a batter is how he tackles world-class bowlers and that day, the way a 36-year-old Uthappa toyed with Josh Hazelwood and Wanindu Hasaranga, two of the best in the business, was a statement that he belongs.
Now that he has decided to retire from international cricket and Indian domestic cricket to look for playing opportunities in overseas leagues apart from building upon his already impressive commentary portfolio, little regrets will always linger in his consciousness.
What if the Indian team showed a little more faith in him rather than pushing him to the sidelines after a few low scores?
What if KKR didn't thrust him into an uncomfortable middle-order role to accommodate the likes of Shubman Gill? What if the Test cap came his way on the back of umpteen successful First-Class seasons? But these what-ifs are part and parcel of every sports person's life.
One thing that was certainly there for everyone to see in the IPL, if not in international cricket, is that this Robin can Batman.
(Saksham Mishra says he is a failed cricketer-turned-sports writer who justifies hours of watching sports by scribbling down a few logical lines that might just about hold your interest)
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