Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa shared that the lack of playing time during the 2021 IPL season with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) took a heavy toll on his mental well-being, pushing him to start smoking as a way to cope with the stress.
Although CSK went on to win the 2021 title, Uthappa featured in just four matches, scoring 115 runs at an average of 28.75 and a strike rate of 136.90, which included a half-century. Speaking on the YouTube podcast First Umpire, he opened up about how the limited opportunities affected him, saying:
“In 2021, when I was playing for CSK and I was part of the team, and I was not getting to play. Obviously internally it was very stressful and internally emotionally very challenging for me.”
“And when you play for the team, it means you want to make sure that your energy, your value addition, what you want to do for the team, that should not interfere. So I was able to manage that, but at the back end I was in quite a lot of pain. So as a coping mechanism I started smoking in the 2021 IPL.”
Robin Uthappa Quit Smoking After Son Pointed Out Deadly Warning On Cigarette Pack
Robin Uthappa went on to share that his smoking habit gradually increased over time, but he chose to quit in December 2023 after his son Neale noticed the warning on a cigarette pack about its deadly effects.
The 39-year-old said: “In 2023, what began as an occasional smoke grew to four or five a day. By late December, I told Sheetal I didn’t even like it and wanted to quit. I knew I could stop cold turkey if I chose to. On 26 December, my son Neale asked why I smoked. When I said I didn’t know, he told me he had read the warning on the cigarette box that it can cause death and said, ‘I don’t want you to die. Please stop.’”
The former CSK batter shared that he gave up smoking and has stayed smoke-free since December 31, 2023. He said:
“I said, okay, then I will stop. I told him that on 31 December I will stop, after that I will not do it. So on 31 December at 12 o’clock he was with us. So I went with him and I said, here, take this cigarette packet, take this lighter. I opened the dustbin and told him, put it inside. So he put it in, and after that I have not smoked a cigarette till now.”
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