Ten years of India's 2011 World Cup triumph: players who are still playing for India
2 April 2011: a day that has been etched in the memories of Indian cricket fans for a lifetime. It was on this day that India had lifted the ICC Cricket World Cup after a 28-year drought. And today, we have arrived at the tenth anniversary of that historic moment. From the 15-member squad that took part in the World Cup ten years ago, only two players are still playing international cricket.
In this article, we will look at those two very players who are still representing Team India in at least one of the formats at the international level.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, a name that has been ruling the cricket world for some time now, was part of the 15-member squad that took part in the 2011 World Cup. It was his maiden appearance on the biggest stage, and he scored 282 runs in 9 matches at an average of 35.25. He scored a hundred against Bangladesh in the inaugural match of the marquee event and also had another fifty to his name.
Since then, Kohli has grown leaps and bounds as a player as well as a captain. He is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen to have ever graced the game of cricket. Now a 32-year-old, he will lead the side in the World Test Championship finals and also in the T20 World Cup, both scheduled for later this year.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin, a cricketer par excellence and a modern-day legend, was a young 24-year-old boy when he was named in the 15-strong squad for the 2011 World Cup. However, Ashwin only got to play two matches in his maiden appearance at the event: one against the West Indies where he made his World Cup debut, and the other against Australia in the quarterfinals. He bowled 20 overs in total, picking up 4 wickets, 2 in each match.
Much like Kohli, Ashwin has also grown in stature in international cricket. With 409 wickets to his name, he is now the fourth highest wicket-taker ever for India in Test matches. The number of matches he has spent in order to get to that 400-wicket landmark (77 Tests) is only second to Muttiah Muralitharan. He has been the premier bowler for the Indian team in Test matches and is going to play a very important role in the upcoming World Test Championship finals.