New Delhi, Sep 14: Former India opener Robin Uthappa, one of the heroes of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning national team, on Wednesday announced his retirement from all forms of "Indian cricket".

The 36-year-old Uthappa, who last played for India in 2015, made the announcement on his social media handles.

"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," Uthappa said.

"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- wonderful journey of ups and downs; one that has been fulfilling, rewarding, enjoyable and has allowed me to grow as a human being."

With the Wednesday's announcement, the right-handed Karnataka batter is eligible to play in leagues of other countries.

Uthappa was part of the country's 2004 Under-19 World Cup team. He made his India debut two years later and featured in 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for India.

He scored 934 and 249 runs in ODIs and T20Is. He has 9446 first class and 6534 List A runs under his belt.

Uthappa has won two IPL trophies -- one for KKR and one for CSK in 2014 and 2021 respectively.

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.