India's playing 11 from their last home ODI World Cup clash vs Australia ft. R Ashwin & Munaf Patel - where are they now?
India and Australia will open their respective 2023 World Cup campaigns at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday as they seek to kickstart their quest for glory on a winning note.
This marks the fourth instance of the two teams facing each other in a men's ODI World Cup clash in India. While the hosts got the better of the Aussies in 1987 and 2011, Australia prevailed in the 1996 World Cup clash in Mumbai.
The last time these two teams squared off in an ODI World Cup clash in India dates back to the quarterfinal of the 2011 edition at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, which has now been renovated and renamed as the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Australia opted to bat first upon winning the toss and on a tacky pitch, fought their way to 260/6, thanks to skipper Ricky Ponting's gritty 104 off 118 deliveries. In response, India had to battle hard throughout their chase but managed to romp home by five wickets with 14 deliveries to spare.
The Men in Blue proceeded to defeat Pakistan in the semifinal in Mohali before trumping Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai to lift their second ODI World Cup title.
As the two teams gear up for a hard-fought battle in Chennai later today, let's look back at India's playing XI from that quarterfinal clash in 2011 and see where they are now:
Openers - Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar
India's most decorated opening combination of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar set out in pursuit of 261. They got the team off to a decent start although Sehwag miscued a pull off the last ball of the 10th over and departed for 15.
Tendulkar continued his rich vein of form in the tournament en route to another half-century, while also scaling the 18,000-run mark in ODIs through the course of his 68-ball 53.
Both Sehwag and Tendulkar have taken part in the Road Safety World Series post-retirement, with the latter captaining India Legends.
Sehwag also played the Legends League Cricket last year while he also works as a commentator and expert. Tendulkar, on the other hand, remains the icon of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL.
Middle order - Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c & wk), and Suresh Raina
Gautam Gambhir's consistent form in the 2011 World Cup continued into the quarterfinal against Australia. He stroked his way to a 64-ball 50, forging useful partnerships with Tendulkar and Virat Kohli before being run out in the 34th over.
Kohli got off to a start but couldn't score more than 24 off 33 deliveries, perishing to a tame David Hussey full toss. MS Dhoni endured a failure, cutting a Brett Lee delivery straight to Michael Clarke, who plucked a stunner to send the Indian captain packing for just seven runs.
The partnership of the game came from Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina though. The in-form Yuvraj stroked his way to an unbeaten 65-ball 57, scoring the winning runs by drilling a Lee half-volley through the covers. He was also the pick of the Indian bowlers as he finished with 2/44 off his ten overs.
Raina lent Yuvraj the support he was after, remaining unbeaten on 34 off 28 deliveries as the duo put together an unbeaten stand of 74.
Kohli is the only active international cricketer in this lot and will have a massive role to play in India's 2023 World Cup campaign. Dhoni still plays the IPL, where he leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and is expected to turn up again in 2024.
Raina, Yuvraj, and Gambhir continue to play in various other leagues around the world. While Raina and Gambhir, who are also active commentators, played the recent US Masters T10, Yuvraj was part of the Road Safety World Series last year. Gambhir also has a political career apart from mentoring Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL.
Bowlers - R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Munaf Patel
India went for a twin off-spin combination in R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh, with the former also taking the new ball. Ashwin dismissed Shane Watson and centurion Ricky Ponting to finish with returns of 2/52 while Harbhajan sent down ten wicketless overs for 50 runs.
Zaheer Khan was on a wicket-taking spree throughout the 2011 World Cup and he snared 2/53 in the quarterfinal against Australia. Munaf Patel endured an off day, bowling just seven overs for 44 runs without picking up a wicket.
Ashwin, like Kohli, is a part of India's 2023 World Cup squad having replaced the injured Axar Patel. Harbhajan is currently a commentator and also runs a YouTube channel, apart from having taken part in the US Masters T10.
Zaheer is Global Head of Cricket Development of the Mumbai Indians (MI) and he also makes his presence felt as an expert from time to time. Munaf, who has also long retired from competitive cricket, took part in the Road Safety World Series last year while also mentoring bowlers at the Baroda Cricket Association.
Australia's playing XI from 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against India
Australia's hopes of clinching a fourth ODI World Cup on the bounce were quashed as they were eliminated in the quarterfinal stage of the 2011 edition. This marked the last time Ponting led the Aussies as he tendered his resignation post te team's exit.
This is how Australia lined up for that quarterfinal contest against India in Ahmedabad:
Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Jason Krejza, Shaun Tait.
Who among India and Australia do you think will begin their 2023 World Cup campaign on a winning note? Have your say in the comments section below!