India's playing 11 from Yusuf Pathan's last international game - where are they now?
One of the legends of domestic cricket in India, Yusuf Pathan is a name most IPL fans will remember well. The hard-hitting all-rounder celebrates his 41st birthday on November 17, 2023.
An accomplished international player who made nearly 80 appearances for India, Pathan was also known for his exploits for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was a devastating batter capable of playing lightning-quick knocks, while also being a very reliable off-spinner.
Pathan scored 810 runs in 41 ODI innings at a stellar strike rate of 113.60, and also picked up 33 wickets. He scored at a very quick rate in T20I cricket too, but couldn't quite replicate his IPL form for the national team.
Pathan's last international appearance was in a one-off T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg in March 2012, which India lost. Batting first, South Africa posted a total of 219/4 on the board, but rain brought the Indian innings to a halt and eventually, South Africa won by 11 runs by the DLS method.
Let's now look back at India's playing XI in that match and where they are now.
Openers - Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir
The left-right combination of Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir opened the batting for India. Chasing the huge target of 220, the Indian openers got the team off to a good start, scoring 71/0 in 7.5 overs before rain stopped play. Unfortunately for them, India were still 11 runs short of the DLS par score and ended up losing the match.
Uthappa couldn't become an India regular and made his last international appearance in 2015. But he was an important feature in the IPL, with successful stints with KKR and later on, Chennai Super Kings. Uthappa announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2022, and worked as a broadcaster and expert in IPL 2023.
Uthappa's KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir is now an MP in the Lok Sabha. He's also a renowned cricketing expert as well as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants team.
Middle Order - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C/WK)
Three icons of Indian cricket made up the batting fulcrum of the Indian side for that match.
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina could well have given the Proteas bowlers a tough fight and kept India in the chase, but the rain denied them the opportunity to bat. Raina did leave an impact on the match, with a useful but expensive spell of 2/49 in four overs. Kohli and Rohit were taken for runs in the only overs they bowled.
Kohli and Rohit are the stars of the current Indian team, with the latter the Indian captain, succeeding the former. Virat Kohli recently broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries. He is currently the highest run-scorer in the 2023 ODI World Cup, while Rohit is on the cusp of becoming India's third World Cup-winning captain.
Suresh Raina announced his international retirement along with MS Dhoni on 15 August in 2020. He continued playing domestic cricket until IPL 2021, and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in September 2022. Since then, he has worked as a commentator and also represented the Indian Legends in the Road Safety World Series.
Dhoni is one of India's most loved cricketers, and he announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. Dhoni continues to play and captain the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, clinching the 2021 and 2023 titles with the side.
All-rounder - Yusuf Pathan, and Irfan Pathan
Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan donned the all-rounders' hats in that game. Irfan Pathan was one of India's better bowlers on the day, finishing with a spell of 1/44 in his four overs, while Yusuf only bowled one.
Irfan has been working as a cricket expert since announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2020. He also made his acting debut in 2022, with a Tamil film Cobra. He played the role of an Interpol agent, starring alongside actor Vikram.
Yusuf was a key player in the IPL for KKR before moving to the SunRisers Hyderabad towards the twilight of his career. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021.
Bowlers - Praveen Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Vinay Kumar
The two pacers Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar went wicketless in the match, conceding 55 runs in five overs among them. Ashwin, meanwhile, was India's best bowler in the match, bowling a relatively economical spell of 1/33 in four overs. He's also the only active cricketer among the three.
Ashwin is a crucial member of India's Test team, and is widely regarded as one of the best modern-day red-ball cricketers. He also recently earned a surprise recall to the white-ball team and could well become a two-time World Cup winner after making India's 15-man squad for the 2023 CWC.
Ashwin is also a valuable asset in the IPL. He captained the Punjab Kings (then KXIP) for two seasons, and currently plays for the Rajasthan Royals.
Incidentally, this was also Praveen Kumar's last international match. The swing bowler last played in the IPL for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017, before announcing his retirement in October 2018.
Pacer Vinay Kumar made his last international appearance in November 2013, having earned 40 India caps across all three formats. He was a part of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy-winning Indian side.
Vinay Kumar played for KKR and MI in the IPL and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021.