India's 2011 World Cup Winning Team: What Are They Up To Now?

10 years ago, the Indian cricket team scripted history after winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In the final match against Sri Lanka, India chased 275 runs in 48.2 overs and won the match by 6 wickets. India qualified for the final after defeating Australia and Pakistan in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. In the final, Gautam Gambhir played a knock of 97 runs while MS Dhoni scored unbeaten 91 runs to win the match for India.

Even after 10 years, memories of the final still hover in the hearts of Indian cricket fans. MS Dhoni’s six which got the winning runs for Indian in the final match is perhaps one of the most-loved memories for India cricket fans.

There were 15 players who were part of the Indian squad in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Many of them have now retired from international cricket, while few are still active members of the Indian Premier League. Here we took a look at all the Indian heroes who helped India to win ICC Cricket Cup 2011 trophy and what are they currently doing.

India’s 2011 World Cup Winning Team: What Are They Up To Now?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the captain of the Indian team in the ICC World Cup 2011. Dhoni smashed a brilliant knock when the team needed it the most. In the ICC World Cup 2011 final against Sri Lanka, MS Dhoni played a knock of unbeaten 91 runs while chasing. He also made a partnership of 114 runs with Gautam Gambhir and 54 runs with Yuvraj Singh.

MS Dhoni was also part of ICC 2015 and ICC 2019 World Cup. He retired from international cricket in August 2020. However, he is still active in the Indian Premier League. He led Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 and will again lead the team in IPL 2021.

Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was the vice-captain of the Indian team in ICC World Cup 2011.  As an opener, he started with a bang after hitting 175 runs in India’s first game against Bangladesh. He only hit one century in the tournament but his aggressive batting helped India to obtain a good start in many matches.

Sehwag retired from all forms of cricket in October 2015. Currently, he is an active commentator and popular for his humorous style while commentating. He also serves as a member of the National Anti-Doping Agency under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sport in the Indian Government. He recently played in the Road Safety World Series T20 2020-21 where he played as an opener for the India Legends team.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was the highest run-scorer for team India in ICC 2011 World Cup and the 2nd highest overall after Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan. He scored 482 runs with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries in the tournament. Sachin’s 85-run knock against Pakistan in the semi-final emerged as very useful for the Men in Blue.

Sachin Tendulkar retired from all forms of cricket in November 2013. He is the mentor of the IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, the team which he represented for 5 seasons. Sachin Tendulkar is also a Rajya Sabha MP. He captained the India Legends team in the Road Safety World Series T20 2020-21. India won the trophy after defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir was another crucial gem for the Men in Blue in ICC World Cup 2011. He scored 393 runs in 9 games with 4 half-centuries in the tournament. He was the 2nd highest-run scorer for India in ICC World Cup 2011. He played a crucial knock of 97 runs in the final against Sri Lanka, after the openers were dismissed cheaply.

After ICC World Cup 2011, Gambhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL trophies. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2018. Gautam Gambhir won the Lok Sabha Elections in 2019 as a BJP candidate and now is Lok Sabha MP of East Delhi. He is also an active commentator and is seen donning the role during India’s matches as well as the Indian Premier League.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, who was a young and a new face during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, hit a century and a half-century in the tournament. Kohli hit a century in the first match against Bangladesh and played at the middle-order position during the tournament. He also had a crucial partnership with Gautam Gambhir in the final match against Sri Lanka.

Over the years, Kohli has emerged as a phenomenal player for the Indian team. Virat Kohli is the captain of the Indian team in all three formats. He also leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was the player of the tournament in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Yuvraj Singh smashed 1 century and 4 half-centuries for India in the tournament and was the most consistent performer for the Men in Blue. He also took 15 wickets in the tournament and was the 2nd highest wicket-taker for India after Zaheer Khan.

Following the ICC World Cup 2011, Yuvraj Singh battled cancer and successfully recovered from the disease. In June 2019, Yuvraj Singh retired from international cricket. He plays in foreign domestic leagues like Global T20 Canada and Abu Dhabi T10 League. He was also a part of the Road Safety World Series T20 2020-21 and played some impressive knocks for India Legends.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina was also part of the Indian squad in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He was replaced by Yusuf Pathan in the initial few games but was later inducted into the team after the Pathan did not play very well. Raina played a 34-run-knock and a partnership of 74 runs with Yuvraj Singh in the quarter-final match against Australia.

India were 5 wickets down at 187-5 while chasing Australia’s 260 in the match. Also in the semi-final against Pakistan, he played unbeaten innings of 36 runs and helped India to reach 260 batting first. Raina retired from international cricket in August 2020 and also did not play in IPL 2020 due to some personal reasons. However, he will play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. He is the 2nd highest run-scorer in IPL so far.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh took 6 wickets in the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament but was the part of playing 11 in every match. His economical bowling was a plus point for the Indian team in the tournament. He played his last international game in 2016, however, he hasn’t announced his retirement.

Other than cricket, Harbhajan Singh has also appeared in TV shows like Ring Ka King and Roadies. He also appears as a commentator. In IPL 2020, he played for Chennai Super Kings but was released ahead of the auction. Kolkata Knight Riders bought him in IPL 2021 auction.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan was the joint-highest wicket-taker in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with 21 wickets. He was the most important pacer for the Indian team in the tournament and scalped multiple wickets in every game. Zaheer Khan announced his retirement from international cricket in October 2015.

Zaheer Khan is currently the Director of Cricket Operations for IPL franchise Mumbai Indians. Moreover, he has also performed the role of a commentator during the Indian Premier League.

Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel was another bowler who was part of the Indian team in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He took 9 wickets in the tournament. His best performance came in the 1^st match against Bangladesh where he took 4 wickets.

He announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018. He played for Kandy Tuskers in the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020. He also played for India legends in Road Safety World Series T20 2020-21.

S Sreesanth

S Sreesanth was a part of the Indian squad in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He was included in the squad as a replacement for injured Praveen Kumar. His expensive bowling in the first game against Bangladesh cost his selection in the playing 11. He then played only in the final against Sri Lanka. He remained wicket-less in the tournament.

He was banned for life from playing cricket for spot-fixing charges in IPL 2013, but the ban was reduced to 7 years and ended in 2020. During the ban, he was little active on television with appearances on reality shows. He also acted in few movies. He registered for IPL 2021 auction but was dropped from the final list after no franchises showed interest in him. However, he plays for the Kerala domestic team.

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra played 3 matches in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He failed to defend 13 runs in an over against South Africa in the last over, losing the match in the first 4 balls. However, in the semi-final match against Pakistan, Nehra was the most economical bowler with 2 wickets for 33 runs in 10 overs.

He played his last international match in November 2017. He retired from all forms of cricket thereafter. In IPL 2018 and IPL 2019, he was appointed as the bowling coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Currently, he is seen as a commentator during IPL and several international matches of India.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin played only two matches in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 where he took 4 wickets in total. However, he did not feature in the semi-final or the final. After the tournament, Ashwin’s career rose as he became the primary spinner for the Men in Blue.

Currently, he did not find a place in the limited-overs format but a crucial bowler for the Tests. In the recent India vs England Test series, he crossed 400 Test wickets. In IPL 2021, he will play for Delhi Capitals.

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan was also part of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and selected due to his aggressive batting style. He did not have a great performance in the tournament but became a member of the World Cup-winning squad.

He played his last international match in 2012. In IPL, he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team which won the title in IPL 2012 and IPL 2014. In February 2021, he retired from international cricket. He was a part of the India legends in the Road Safety World Series T20 2020-21.

Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla was another spinner who played in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. He played 3 games and took 4 wickets. He played his last international match in 2012. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders when the team won the titles in IPL 2012 and IPL 2014.

In IPL 2020, he played for Chennai Super Kings but was released by the franchisee ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. He was bought by Mumbai Indians in the auction and represent the team in IPL 2021. Chawla plays for Gujarat in the domestic circuit.