2011 ODI World Cup winning team: Where are they now?
"Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!"
Ravi Shastri screamed these words during the commentary as Mahendra Singh Dhoni launched pacer Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over the long-on to end India's 28-year-old wait and helped Team India lift the World Cup trophy in front of a jam-packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
It has been almost seven years since that six – the six that sealed India’s World Cup triumph on April 2, 2011. It was India's first title since Kapil Dev led team India won the trophy in 1983 and also the perfect way for Sachin Tendulkar's World Cup career to end.
After a humiliating exit from the 2007 ODI World Cup with a team featuring the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid, the Indian team faced a serious challenge of re-establishing the faith of their fans.
Playing the 2011 World Cup at home, captain MS Dhoni and the team management faced the tough task of selecting a team for the challenge. The squad that was announced was an expected one with a few surprises - Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, and Piyush Chawla.
The Indian team has come a long way since that World Cup win and a lot has changed in the lives of every player who was in that squad. With just 10 days to go for the win's seventh anniversary, let’s take a look at what the members of the World Cup-winning team are up to now:
#1 Virender Sehwag
The fiery opening batsman Virender Sehwag started the 2011 World Cup on a strong note with a knock of 175 vs Bangladesh in the opening match. He continued his good form and ended the World Cup with a tally of 380 runs with an average of 47.50.
After the World Cup, Sehwag continued playing for the national side, his state Delhi, for Delhi Daredevils and later Kings XI Punjab. He finally announced his retirement from all forms of the sport in October 2015.
Post his retirement, Sehwag has taken the world of commentary by storm. He is one of the most entertaining Hindi commentators and his humorous and sarcastic tweets on various topics attract a lot of attention.
In IPL 2018, Viru will be the head coach of the Kings XI Punjab team.