India's 2011 World Cup-Winning Squad: What Are They Doing Now?

2nd April is a special date for every Indian cricket fan, as it was on this day in 2011 that MS Dhoni & co. created history by lifting the 2011 World Cup by beating Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. This was only India's second triumph in a mega event and the first in 28 years following the historic 1983 World Cup title victory under Kapil Dev's captaincy.

Since the 2011 World Cup, India has never won the tournament again, having lost the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019 to Australia and New Zealand, respectively. The Men in Blue looked set to repeat history and once again lift the tournament on home soil in 2023 after storming into the final unbeaten with 10 wins in a row but suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the summit clash to Australia at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

Post the 2011 title win, India have only won one more ICC title which was the 2013 Champions Trophy. Infact, it is one of just five ICC titles the country has ever won. Apart from the 1983 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy, India were also joint winners of the 2002 Champions Trophy and emerged victorious in the inugural T20 World Cup in 2007.

The rarity of the event makes the 2011 World Cup among the most special moments in Indian cricket history. The 15-man squad has a space in Indian cricket hall of fame for eternity.

Where are India's 2011 World Cup heroes now?

MS Dhoni: India's 2011 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni also led the country to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Dhoni continued to play international cricket till 2019 and played the 2015 and 2019 World Cup. The legendary wicket-keeper batter retired from international cricket in 2020 but continues to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. The 2024 season is his first as non-captain after stepping down from the job post CSK's 2023 IPL win.

Sachin Tendulkar: Many Indian squad members had stated that they played the 2011 World Cup for Sachin as it was the Indian cricket legend's sixth and last World Cup. Sachin won the mega event for the first time in 2011 and later retired from ODI Cricket in 2012 and international cricket in 2013. Since then, Sachin has been the mentor of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL and and also taken up some media duties. Popularly labelled as the 'God of Cricket', Tendulkar appears regulary at various events.

Virender Sehwag: The 2011 World Cup proved to the peak of Virender Sehwag's career at the international level. Sehwag was dropped from the ODI and Test sides in early 2013 and never played for the country. Sehwag continued to play the IPL till 2015 before announcing his retirement later in the year. Since then, Sehwag has been busy with media duties as a commentator and cricket experts

Gautam Gambhir: Gautam Gambhir was the hero of India's 2011 World Cup victory with a match-winning knock of 97. However, Gambhir did not have much success to show after that at the international level. Gambhir was dropped from the Indian team in 2013. Gambhir last played an ODI for India in January 2013. He made a comeback to the Test team in 2014 and 2016, but both stints were short-lived. In this period, it led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir retired from the sport in 2018 and has since been appointed mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and later the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He contested the Lok Sabha Elections in 2019 and is a sitting MP for the Bharitya Janta Party (BJP).

Virat Kohli: The 2011 World Cup proved to be the stepping stone of Virat Kohli's career and since then, he has made a name for himself as one of the greatest to play the sport. Kohli led India from 2015 to 2022 in Test cricket as well as ODI and T20Is from 2017 to 2021. Kohli has 80 international centuries to his name including a record 50 in ODI cricket. He is still a vital part of the Indian team in all three formats of the game.

Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj Singh was named Man of the Tournament (MOTM) in the 2011 World Cup for his stunning all-round show. The star cricketer was diagnosed with cancer a few months after India's title win. Although Yuvraj did make a comeback, he never played in an ODI World Cup but was part of India's squad in the 2012, 2014, and 2016 T20 World Cups as well as the 2017 Champions Trophy. After a two-year exile from the national team, Yuvraj retired from international cricket in 2019. Since then, Yuvraj has been playing in some events for retired players and is also running a non-profit organization for cancer patients, 'YouWeCan.'

Suresh Raina: An underrated star of the 2011 World Cup win, Suresh Raina remained a vital part of the Indian team in white-ball cricket till 2016 and played in the 2013 Champions Trophy and the 2015 World Cup. However, Raina was dropped from the team in 2016. He made a short-lived comeback in 2018 but failed to earn a place in the 2019 World Cup squad. Raina retired from international cricket in 2020 and all forms of the sport in 2022. Since then, he has taken on a role as a commentator. He is also actively playing in various leagues for retired players.

Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf Pathan did not play much for India after the 2011 World Cup in which he was dropped from the playing XI for the knockout despite playing all league stage games. Yusuf continued to play the IPL till the 2019 season. He retired from the sport in 2021. He will be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections for TMC from Baharampur.

Zaheer Khan: Zaheer Khan is among greatest pacers in history and was the backbone of the bowling unit in the 2011 World Cup. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Post the victory, Zaheer suffered major injury blows. Zaheer last played an ODI for India in 2012 while not playing any Test since 2014. The star pacer retired from international cricket in 2015 and played IPL till 2017.Since then, Zaheer has been part of Mumbai Indians' (MI) backroom staff and is currently their Global Head of Performance and has also been doing commentatory.

Harbhajan Singh: The 2011 World Cup proved to be the peak of Harbhajan Singh's career for India as he was dropped months later from the team. Harbhajan made multiple comebacks to the team in the years to follow in all formats but could never cement his spot in the team. Harbhajan last played for India in both ODI and Test in 2015 while his last T20I outing was in 2016. The star off-spinner continued to play the IPL till his retirement in 2021. Since then, Harbhajan has become an active commentator and a cricket experts for various media outlets. He also runs his own Youtube channel. Harbhajan is currently a sitting Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliment) for the Aam Aadmi Party.

Ashish Nehra:Ashish Nehra missed the 2011 World Cup final due to an injury but played an important role in the victory, including a magical spell in the semi-final against Pakistan. Nehra has never played an ODI for India since the mega event. However, he continued to play T20 cricket for India until his retirement in 2017. Since then, Nehra was RCB's bowling coach in 2016 before being appointed Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach in 2022, which led them to the IPL title that year. Nehra has also done commentary and been a cricket expert for media houses.

Sreesanth: The 2011 World Cup was Sreesanth's last appearence for India in the ODI format while playing his last Test match a few months later. Sreesanth was banned from the sport in 2013 for spot fixing in the IPL. His ban was reversed 2020 and played domestic cricket but got to play for the national team or the IPL again. Sreesnath announced his retirement in 2022 after which he has taken up media duties and played some leagues for retired players.

Munaf Patel: Munaf Patel fell of the radar after the 2011 World Cup as he last played for India a few months later. Munaf continued to play the IPL till 2017. He announced his retirement in 2018. Since then, he has played a few leagues meant for retired players.

Ravichandran Ashwin: Ravichandran Ashwin was an x-factor for India in the 2011 World Cup and played just two matches but a few months later became India's lead spinner in all three formats of the game. Ashwin remains an active player and is among India's greatest crickters in Test cricket. Recently, Ashwin completed 100 Test matches and become only the second Indian player to take 500 Test wickets.

Piyush Chawla: Piyush Chawla was only 22 at the time of the 2011 World Cup but never played a white-ball match for India after the event. His last Test outing was in 2012 and never played for India in any format after that. Chawla has been an active player in domestic cricket and the IPL in the years to come. He is IPL's third-highest wicket-taker in history. Chawla is playing for Hardik Pandya-led MI in IPL 2024.