India's 2007 T20 World Cup Winners: Where are they now?

Team India scripted history back in 2007, as they became champions of the inaugural T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni's inspirational leadership. Some of the senior players, including the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, decided to skip the event, and the Men in Blue were a relatively inexperienced side with a first-time captain at the helm. The team also didn't have anyone assigned as the head coach on their trip to South Africa for the marquee tournament. Lalchand Rajput served as the manager and in unison with Dhoni, made plans to bring glory to the nation. The team also executed the plans remarkably on the field as the Asian giants defeated Pakistan by five runs in a pulsating final in Johannesburg to win the title. Meanwhile, India ended the long-awaited ICC Trophy drought by lifting their second T20 World Cup title in 2024 in the West Indies and the USA under the exceptional captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Interestingly, the 37-year-old is the only player from the current squad to have been part of the 2007 World Cup winning batch. Let us take a look at the performances of the players in the inaugural edition and what they are doing now: 15. Piyush Chawla Piyush Chawla. (© Getty Images) Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the only player in the Indian squad who didn't get a single game during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Interestingly, the Uttar Pradesh-born was also a part of India's ODI World Cup-winning squad in 2011 but features in only three matches. The 35-year-old is still sweating it out in professional cricket as he recently represented Mumbai Indians in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Notably, he bagged 13 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 24. Meanwhile, Chawla continues to be part of the domestic circuit and has switched teams from Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat. His last outing with the Gujarat side was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023. He also dedicates his time to working as a cricket expert on television. 14. Ajit Agarkar Ajit Agarkar. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar was one of the most experienced campaigner in the squad and was expected to be the spearhead of the bowling line-up. However, he bowled in just a couple of matches in the inaugural T20 World Cup. During his stint in the shortest format, Agarkar picked up just one wicket against the arch-rivals, Pakistan. Currently, the Mumbai cricketer is the chief selector of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Before being appointed as the selector, the 46-year-old was an assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals in the IPL as well. Besides, he also took up commentary role adding another expertise to his illustrious career. 13. Yusuf Pathan Yusuf Pathan. (Photo Source: CricTracker) The destructive batter made his India debut in the finals against Pakistan. Yusuf Pathan replaced the injured Virender Sehwag in the high-voltage clash and played a brisk 15-run knock off eight balls. After retiring from all forms of cricket in February 2021, Yusuf ventured into politics earlier this year, as he was named as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from West Bengal's Berhampore seat. Yusuf contested the 2024 General Elections in India from the Berhampore constituency in West Bengal and defeated Indian National Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by a margin of 85,022 votes. Currently, Yusuf Pathan is still active in cricket by playing for Konark Suryas Odisha team in the ongoing Legends League Cricket 2024 edition. 12. Dinesh Karthik Dinesh Karthik. (Photo Source: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) With MS Dhoni donning the wicketkeeping gloves, Dinesh Karthik played as a specialist middle-order batter in the first half of the tournament. However, his most memorable moment in the competition came in the match against South Africa, where he took a spectacular diving catch to dismiss Graeme Smith. This was arguably the catch of the tournament. Karthik received a guard of honour from his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammates after their elimination in IPL 2024 and announced his retirement a few days later. Just a month later to his retirement he was named RCB batting coach and mentor for the next edition of IPL. The Tamil Nadu-born also has joined Paarl Royals and will become the first Indian to play in SA20. Meanwhile, his currently leading the Southern Super Stars in the Legends League Cricket 2024. Karthik also dedicates his valuable time by doing commentary all around the world. 11. S Sreesanth Sreesanth. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) Veteran pacer S Sreesanth played seven matches in the 2007 T20 World Cup and picked up six wickets at an average of 30.50 and a strike rate of 23. He conceded runs at an economy rate of 7.95. The Kerala speedster also took the all-important catch of Misbah-Ul-Haq in the last over of the final to help India win the title. After this, Sreesanth faced a lifetime ban for allegedly being involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal in 2013. The ban was subsequently reduced to seven years but it took a lot of time away from his playing career. Finally, he returned to domestic cricket in 2021 and eventually retired the following year. Of late, he has been working as a commentator and an expert. The 41-year-old is currently playing in the Legends League Cricket 2024 for the Gujarat Greats. 10. Joginder Sharma Joginder Sharma. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) The right-arm pacer went on to become the sleeper hit for the Indian team. He picked up four wickets in as many matches and bowled the high-pressure last over in the final against Pakistan. Joginder Sharma had 13 runs to defend against a well-set Misbah-Ul-Haq. The speedster conceded seven runs from the first two balls before dismissing the right-handed batter for 43 and giving India a monumental win. However, in November 2011, Joginder Sharma went through a near-fatal road accident which almost ended his cricket career. But after recovering from the head injuries sustained, Sharma later went on to join Haryana Police. He is currently the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Ambala. 9. Robin Uthappa Former India international Robin Uthappa featured in all seven matches and scored 113 runs from six innings. During the marquee event, he averaged of 18.83, while scoring with a strike rate of 113. The talented batter had scored a crucial half-century against Pakistan in a group match. Moving on, Uthappa bid farewell to the sport in September 2022 and has been working as a commentator and an expert since then. He is also playing in LLC 2024 and is playing for the defending champions, Manipal Tigers. 8. RP Singh RP Singh. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) The left-arm seamer emerged as the leading wicket-taker for India in the 2007 T20 World Cup. RP Singh took 12 wickets from seven matches at an average of 12.66. During his sensational World Cup journey, he bowled with a strike rate of 12. Besides, Singh finished only behind Umar Gul on the list of highest wicket-takers in the tournament. The Pakistan pacer had 13 wickets to his name. RP Singh has established himself as a revered figure in Hindi commentary after retiring from cricket in September 2018. The Uttar Pradesh-born earlier featured in LLC as well. 7. Irfan Pathan Irfan Pathan. (Source - Twitter/X) The ace former India all-rounder didn't play much of a part with the bat, but he was one of Dhoni's go-to men with the ball. Irfan Pathan scalped 10 wickets from six innings, including a decisive three-for against Pakistan. As a result, he won the Player of the Match award in the summit clash. The Baroda-based cricketer retired in 2020 but continues to score handsomely in Legends Leagues around the world. He is also one of the most popular commentators as well, who doesn't shy away from speaking his mind. Currently, Pathan is currently leading Konark Suryas Odisha in LLC. 6. Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma. (Source - Getty Images) The current India captain made his T20I debut in the match against England but didn't get to bat. However, in his second appearance, Rohit Sharma smashed an unbeaten 40-ball 50 against South Africa to orchestrate a 37-run win for India. In the finals, the Mumbai batter scored an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls to help India get past the 150-run mark. Consequently, the whirlwind knock proved to be the difference in the end. Speaking of his recent achievements as the leader of the team, the Hitman became the second India captain after Dhoni to lift the T20 World Cup title in the 2024 edition. After India's triumph, Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game. The Nagpur-born is currently leading India in the two-match Test series against Bangladesh. 5. Harbhajan Singh Harbhajan Singh. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) The legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh bagged seven wickets in as many games and was a key bowler for India in the middle overs. He finished with an average of 26 and a strike rate of 19.71. His economy rate was below 8, which was quite decent on pitches not conducive for spinners. The ‘Turbanator’ retired from cricket in December 2021 and has made himself a popular figure in the Hindi commentary circuit, by lending his voice in various significant tournaments. He is currently an elected honourable Member of Parliament and is leading the Manipal Tigers team in the Legends League Cricket 2024. 4. Virender Sehwag Virender Sehwag (Photo Source: Twitter) The iconic opener didn't set the stage ablaze with big scores but provided some quickfire starts for Team India. Virender Sehwag scored 133 runs in five innings at an average of 26.60. While being a big-hitter, it comes as no surprise that the former opener maintained a strike rate of 138.54 After bringing the curtains down on an illustrious playing career in 2015, the ‘Sultan of Najafgarh’ ventured into commentary and is known for his straightforward takes on the sport and the players. Currently, he does commentary for various matches and is also seen as a television cricket expert. Moreover, he also enjoys having banters with various former players over social media apart from coming up with his witty posts. 3. Gautam Gambhir Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: X/Twitter) The former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir finished as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, with 227 runs from six innings, averaging 37.83 at a strike rate of 129.71. He scored a mesmerizing 75 off 54 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes in the summit clash. The southpaw retired in March 2019. He has donned several hats since his retirement. Gambhir has worked as a commentator before joining politics. Earlier this year, he left politics to focus on his coaching career. The 42-year-old had been the mentor for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022 and 2023. Ahead of IPL 2024, he joined KKR as a mentor and guided them to their third IPL title. Just after India lifted their second T20 World Cup title, the BCCI appointed the Delhi-born as the new Indian team head coach after Rahul Dravid decided to bow out on a high. His first coaching assignment with the national team was against Sri Lanka in August 2024. Gambhir is currently guiding India in the Bangladesh Test series. 2. Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh (Photo Source: Twitter) The prolific former Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh played a pivotal role for India in their World Cup wins in 2007 and 2011, respectively. The legendary all-rounder scored 148 runs from five innings at an average of 29.60. His strike rate was an awe-inspiring 194.73. One of the highlights in Yuvraj's career is the six sixes he hit in a Stuart Broad over in the game against England. The elegant left-handed batter also slammed a 30-ball 70 in the semifinals against Australia. The Punjab cricketer was also named as one of the ambassadors of the T20 World Cup 2024. The 42-year-old retired in June 2019 but continues to follow the game closely. He has also mentored some of the talented young cricketers from Punjab like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma. Besides, he also featured in the LLC league cricket in the past. 1. MS Dhoni MS Dhoni (Twitter) The former legendary Indian captain showed glimpses of his excellent man-management skills by keeping the team together throughout the marquee tournament. MS Dhoni also showed his impeccable ability to use his resources to perfection. With the bat, Dhoni played a vital 45-run knock off 33 balls against South Africa. His 18-ball 36 against the Aussies in the semifinals was also a very impactful innings. In December 2014, Dhoni retired from Test cricket. However, he continued representing India in the shorter formats till August 2020. The 42-year-old recently played for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024. Many predicted that it could be the stalwart's last dance as a professional cricket. However, he hasn't made any official announcement about his retirement.

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India's 2007 T20 World Cup Winners: Where are they now?

India won the first-ever edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 under the inspirational leadership of MS Dhoni.

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