India playing XI from Barinder Sran's T20I debut in 2016 - where are they now?
India seamer Barinder Sran announced his retirement from all forms of cricket via his Instagram post on Thursday, August 29. The left-arm pacer played in six ODIs and two T20Is for India.
The former Punjab seamer also played for four IPL franchises in his career: Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. Injuries and indifferent form had a say in him being out of contention since 2021.
Sran made his ODI debut against Australia in Perth in January 2016 and his T20I debut came against Zimbabwe in Harare in June of the same year. Unfortunately, 2016 also saw him making his last international appearance.
In his T20I debut in Harare, India beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, chasing down a comfortable target of 100 in 13.1 overs. Sran ended the game with figures of 4/10 and was also the Player of the match, becoming one of the very few to earn the prize on their debut.
On that note, let's take a look at the players from India's XI from this game and what they are up to now:
Top-order - KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Ambati Rayudu
KL Rahul and Mandeep Singh opened the innings for India in that game. While Rahul is still playing for India - in fact, he is a major part of the side - Mandeep played in just three T20Is for the country. The right-handed batter will represent Tripura from the 2024-25 domestic season. He has also played for four IPL franchises in his career (KKR, PBKS, DC and RCB).
Ambati Rayudu, who was slated to come in at number three in that game, has hung up his boots from the sport and made an initial foray into politics from Andhra Pradesh. He was recently seen representing India Legends in the World Championship of Legends.
Middle-order - Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were expected to bat in the middle-order for India in this game. Pandey has long since fallen off the radar of the Indian selectors although he continues to be a domestic behemoth with Karnataka. Most recently, he was seen leading the Hubli Tigers in the Maharaja Trophy. He last represented the Indian team in 2021.
Jadhav, meanwhile, retired from cricket in June earlier this year after having played in 73 ODIs and 9 T20Is for India.
The legendary MS Dhoni, India's captain in this game, is retired as well. However, he still plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Lower-order - Axar Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Barinder Sran
Axar Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal made up the rest of the bowling unit alongside Sran in this game. In fact, Bumrah impressed with his figures of 3/11 off four overs.
While Patel, Bumrah and Chahal are all members of the current Indian team, Kulkarni retired from the sport post the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final after helping Mumbai get to their 42nd title.
Bumrah is perhaps the best fast bowler in the world at the moment while Patel and Chahal continue their journeys towards fulfilling the potential they have often shown.