India's playing XI from Siddarth Kaul's international debut in 2018 - where are they now?
Former India seamer Siddarth Kaul announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in India on Thursday, November 28. The 34-year-old was highly renowned for the bounce he generated off the back of a length and the way he could get the ball to nip back in after pitching.
Kaul was a more than handy asset in first-class cricket, as his stats show with 297 wickets in 88 matches. From 2007 to earlier this year, he was the mainstay of the Punjab bowling attack, but has now called it quits midway through the domestic season.
Kaul was a part of the Indian team for the U-19 World Cup in 2008 and was also rewarded with his first senior cap in a T20I against Ireland in Dublin in 2018, which the visitors won by 143 runs. Later that year, in July, the Punjab bowler was also handed his first ODI cap against England in Nottingham.
Although Kaul played just three ODIs and as many T20Is for India, his impact at the domestic level cannot be discounted, as well as his performances in franchise cricket, especially the Indian Premier League (IPL). He represented three sides in the IPL - Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
In this piece, we take a look at all the other players who turned up for India alongside Kaul in his debut international game against Ireland in 2018:
Top-order batters - KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, and Virat Kohli
KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Suresh Raina played in the top order for India in that game against Ireland. While Rahul and Kohli are still going strong for India and are a part of the side touring Australia for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Raina retired from the sport at the international level in 2020.
In 2022, he called it quits from domestic and franchise cricket as well. Rahul and Raina starred with 70 (36) and 69 (45) respectively for India in that game and played a major role in helping them amass a massive total of 213/4.
Middle-order batters and wicketkeeper - Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, and Manish Pandey
Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya batted in the middle order for India in that game, while Dinesh Karthik wore the big gloves behind the stumps. Sharma is currently India's captain in Tests and ODIs and is a part of the side for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He missed the first Test that India won in Perth as he had stayed back home after the birth of his child. He has now joined the side and will first play for them in a tour game in Canberra.
Pandey last played for India in 2021 but continues to be a force to reckon with for Karnataka in domestic cricket. Pandya, meanwhile, has become a white-ball-only cricketer for India and is currently playing for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Karthik, however, has retired from the sport altogether.
Bowlers - Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Umesh Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav turned up for India alongside Kaul in the bowling department in that match. Both Yadav and Chahal are vital cogs in the wheel for India in white-ball cricket, while the former is a handy pick with the red ball too.
Kuldeep is not a part of the side for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia due to a groin issue while Chahal is currently playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Umesh, who is 37 years old now, has not indicated that he wants to retire from the sport although one can imagine it coming soon. He is currently playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Vidarbha while his last game for India came in a Test in June 2023.