The 2011 World Cup victory was undoubtedly one of the most exciting moments in the history of Indian cricket. This success came about as a result of the collective efforts of the fifteen members of the Indian squad.
The likes of Tendulkar and Sehwag went on to retire as heroes. The likes of Kohli and Ashwin, who still play, have become stars. Also, some of the players went into a downward spiral and are shadows of the players they used to be.
With the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cup, here is a look at what the members of the 2011 World Cup winning Indian cricket team are up to these days.
Virender Sehwag
Although Sehwag did not have the perfect World Cup final he was dismissed on the second delivery for a duck against Sri Lanka, he did have a great run during the 2011 World Cup tournament itself, which began with a massive 175-run innings against Bangladesh in the first match.
After officially retiring from all formats of the game in 2015, Viru provides his expertise on various pre and post match analytical shows. Sehwag is a proud owner of Sehwag International School that has been producing some of the most talented players from the younger lot. He can also be seen on social media every now and then, roasting others and sometimes, even himself.
Sachin Tendulkar
In his final days as one of the Men in Blue, the 2011 World Cup can probably be considered as the endgame for the master blaster. Having an above average run, Tendulkar was more or less consistent during the Group matches and also the Knockout rounds. Scoring 120 against England in the second match and 53 against Australia in the quarter finals, Tendulkar made it clear to the world that he’s still got it.
After lifting the cup during the victory round with the Wankhede Stadium chanting his name, Tendulkar retired from ODIs in 2012 after a disappointing series against England. What is remarkable about Tendulkar’s post-retirement life is how much he has done to promote sports other than cricket. Owner of the Indian Super League franchise Kerala Blasters and Premier Badminton League franchise Bengaluru Blasters, Tendulkar is also the UNICEF ambassador for Hygiene and Sanitation and also launched a sports management company called STD in 2016.
Gautam Gambhir
Probably the most consistent batsman throughout the 2011 World Cup, Gautam Gambhir played a crucial role in India successfully chasing Sri Lanka’s respectable score of 274 in the final. After winning the 2011 World Cup, Gambhir struggled to find his form and went off the radar for quite some time. He began to play domestic cricket and was even called to play a Test series against New Zealand in 2016.
However, Gambhir announced his retirement ahead of his final match for team Delhi in the 2018 Ranji Trophy season, in which he also scored a century on 6th December 2018.
Virat Kohli
Scoring a decent 35 in the final against Sri Lanka, Kohli was just 22 years old when India lifted the Cup. Although he became a familiar face for the Indian audience, not a lot was expected out of the future captain as players like Sehwag and Tendulkar were there. Kohli himself has expressed a lack of emotions after the win because he didn’t feel like he earned it.
A lot has changed in eight years. He has also spearheaded the team to great heights, winning a Test series in Australia, for instance, which none of his predecessors were able to achieve. With the 2019 World Cup approaching, Kohli looks focused and will surely have strong emotions towards whatever the Indian Cricket Team has in store for themselves in the future.
MS Dhoni
A captain, a wicketkeeper and a batsman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni aced in every category during the 2011 World Cup. A massive but more importantly, clutch innings put out by the middle-order hitter was a great testament of exactly how much we will miss Mahi when he finally decides to retire (hopefully after another World Cup).
Named the Man of the Match in the final, Dhoni won the Cup for Team India in wonderful fashion with a six. Eight years later, despite many stints of bad form, Dhoni continues to be the ‘finisher of games’ for the Indian side. After winning the ODI series in Australia while acting as the backbone of the squad, Dhoni has proved his critics wrong once again and is making a great case for another hand at the upcoming World Cup.
Yuvraj Singh
Other than getting out on the first ball against Pakistan in the semi final, Yuvraj Singh was steady as a rock for the Men in Blue for the entire tournament.
Soon after winning the World Cup, Singh was diagnosed with a rare cancer which spread into his lungs but after months of therapy and diet-control, Yuvi was able to make a comeback to cricket. Although, he has not yet announced his retirement, his absence from the roster is a clear indication of the inevitable.
Suresh Raina
To be completely honest, Suresh Raina did not contribute a lot towards India’s rise throughout the tournament and thanks to Dhoni’s game-winning innings, did not get to bat in the final too. His best innings came in the semi final during which the batsman scored 36 runs.
After being an integral part of Team India for years to come after the 2011 victory. Having played his last ODI and T20I match for the national team, Raina is trying to make a comeback but it may be too late for the senior middle-order batsman to return.
Zaheer Khan
In a time when Indian bowling was considered to be subpur, it was Zaheer Khan who led the attack when his side was fielding. Albeit, Khan proved to be expensive in the final three overs against the Lankans in the final, his consistency and deliverance throughout the tournament cannot be questioned.
After retiring from international and domestic cricket in 2015, ‘Zak’ has entered the fitness industry with his brainchild venture ProSport Fitness.
S Sreesanth
27 years old at the time, S Sreesanth was fierce with the ball. However, the World Cup proved to be a disappointment for the pacer who gave up 52 runs in just 8 overs in the final match against Sri Lanka. Sreesanth was a surprise pick for the playing 11 after Ashish Nehra was out due to an injury.
Recently, Sreesanth became the 2018 season’s runners-up of the reality show, Bigg Boss. Sreesanth has appealed to the judiciary, time and again to lift the ban on his cricketing career but it hasn’t led to anything fruitful.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh is not all about aggressive bowling and trying to take wickets, it is also about preventing to concede runs and work towards forcing the opponent to put up the smallest total that they can.
During the 2011 World Cup, Bhajji, who not only was the second highest wicket taker for the Indian side, he also had one of the best economy rate amongst the Men in Blue.
Munaf Patel
Munaf Patel’s impressive performance in the ODI series in Sri Lanka in 2010 got him a spot in the 2011 World Cup squad as Parveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra were out due to injury. While a lot of people belief Patel’s role in the victory wasn’t very eventful, the more technically sound fans call him the unsung hero.
The then-bowling coach, Eric Simmons commends Patel’s high degree of skills which covered up the lack of pace.
