[1] Uthappa picked up the sport as a profession at the age of eight after watching his brother play hockey for Bangalore University as he grew up.

Then a student of Lions School, Gonikoppal in Karnataka's Kodagu district, he was actively involved in sports and won competitions of badminton, football, basketball and hockey.

He holds the Karnataka State record for most goals scored (16) in a five-game inter-district tournament, when he played for his district, Kodagu.

[5] Uthappa made his international debut against South Africa on 16 January 2012 at the first match of a five-match series, in Delhi.

Uthappa captained the side for the first time at the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia, in a league game against Pakistan, in the process of rotation of captaincy the team followed after the 2016 Rio Olympics.