The inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup commenced on September 11, 2007. The Men in Blue walked in with a young and fairly inexperienced bunch of players into the marquee event. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-was-not-copybook-style-ms-dhoni-opens-up-on-mastering-unconventional-style-of-wicketkeeping/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MS Dhoni</a>, who had never captained India before was entrusted to lead the team at the high-profile event.&nbsp;

What followed was something incredible. India punched above their weight and defeated numerous star-studded teams during the World Cup. They qualified for the semi-finals where they got the better of the mighty Australian side to set up a clash with arch-rivals rivals Pakistan. In the summit clash, they stood tall in the last-over thriller to be crowned as the first-ever T20 World Cup champions.

It has been 15 years since India bagged the historic triumph and the heroes of the 2007 World Cup have ventured in diverse directions. Let us take a look at what the champion players are doing nowadays:

It was not long back when the then young MS Dhoni had just found his footing in the international arena and was handed over the reins of a young Indian side. He displayed great leadership skills and led India to a historic win. The wicketkeeper-batter also provided some useful contributions with the bat and scored 154 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 128.33.

Post the epic triumph, Dhoni became the captain of the ODI team and was also named India's Test skipper later on. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue went on to win the 50-overs World Cup in 2011, and the ace batter was deemed the hero of the final for his unbeaten knock of 91 runs. The legendary cricketer also led India to a Champions Trophy victory in 2013.

Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket on December 30, 2014 following India's Boxing Day Test fixture against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and donned the India jersey in white-ball cricket till 2019. Dhoni officially hung his international boots (ODI and T20I) on August 15, 2020. The veteran player still plays in the Indian Premier League and is the skipper of the four-time IPL champions <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/csk-chennai-super-kings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chennai Super Kings</a>.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/he-made-those-runs-before-i-beat-him-up-yuvraj-singh-congratulates-shubhman-gill-in-his-trademark-style/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yuvraj Singh</a> took the world by storm with his breathtaking knocks during the inaugural T20 World Cup. The Southpaw played a majestic knock of 58 runs off 16 deliveries against England which included six consecutive sixes in a Stuart Broad over.

Then in the semi-final against the Aussies, he smashed 70 runs off 30 balls to take his team to a winning position. The flamboyant batter was the chief architect of India’s success at the World Cup.

Yuvraj continued to be India’s mainstay in the white-ball format for the years to follow. He was the Player of the Tournament at the 50-overs World Cup in 2011 for his all-round performance. But shortly after leading India to the historic triumph, he was diagnosed with cancer and his cricket career took a hit.&nbsp;

Yuvraj returned to cricket after conquering the disease in 2013 but was not able to display the kind of consistency that he was famously known for. The 40-year-old played his last international match (ODI) at North Sound against the West Indies on June 30, 2017 and played IPL till 2019. He officially retired from international cricket on June 10, 2019.

The Southpaw has featured in various T20 competitions post-retirement and is currently playing in the Road Safety World Series (a T20 tournament organised to create awareness towards road safety) for the India Legends.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-was-never-going-to-be-like-virender-sehwag-rahul-dravid-on-how-both-batters-had-different-paths-to-success/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Virender Sehwag</a> was a fearless batter renowned to take the attack to the opposition from ball one. He was one of the senior players in India’s squad during the marquee tournament and was tasked to give his team rapid starts. The opening batter did just that and scored 133 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 138.54.&nbsp;

The destructive batter was India’s premier opener for years to follow and also played an integral role in the Men in Blue's World Cup triumph in 2011 amassing 380 runs in eight games. However, his form started tapering off post the global event. With the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gradually rising in ranks, Sehwag was dropped from the team in 2013 and was not recalled afterwards.

The veteran batter played IPL until 2015 and officially hung his boots from all forms of cricket on October 20, 2015. Post retirement, he played the role of the mentor of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) franchise till 2018.

For the last couple of years, the 43-year-old has been a prominent figure in hindi cricket commentary. The ace opener is presently playing in the Legends League Cricket (a t20 competition featuring retired cricketers from around the world).

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-am-way-more-nervous-than-i-was-when-i-made-my-international-debut-gautam-gambhir-ahead-of-llc-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gautam Gambhir</a> provided solidity to the Indian batting line-up and was amongst the runs during the 2007 T20 extravaganza. He was the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, amassing 227 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 129.71. The opening batter was also the top-scorer of the final against the arch-rivals with 75 runs off 54 balls.

The southpaw was a regular figure for the Men in Blue across formats and played a significant role in India's 2011 World Cup win. In the epic final against Sri Lanka, Gambhir scored 97 runs to guide the team closer to the target.

However, he witnessed a dip in form in 2012 and was dropped from the team across formats in the years to follow. The solid opener made a brief comeback to Test cricket in 2016 but was not able to impress with his performances.

Gambhir established himself as a leader in the IPL and under his captaincy, Kolkata Knight Riders became champions in 2012 and 2014. He last played the lucrative T20 tournament in 2018 and retired from all forms of cricket in December 2018.&nbsp;

The veteran batter after his cricketing stint entered politics and has been a member of the Lok Sabha since 2019. Moreover, he has also been an active cricket commentator for the last couple of years and was appointed as the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants this year. He is currently representing India Capitals in the ongoing Legends League Cricket tournament.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/we-wanted-to-put-up-show-and-we-did-that-well-rohit-sharma-delighted-after-t20i-series-win-against-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rohit Sharma</a> made his international debut just a few months before the inaugural T20 World Cup. He did not let inexperience weigh him down when he took centre stage and played a few crucial innings for the side during the global event.

He scored 50* runs off 40 deliveries in a virtual knockout game against South Africa and then in the all-important final played a vital knock of 30* runs off 16 balls to take India to a competitive total.

During his initial years, the 35-year-old played the role of a middle-order batter and did a decent job. However, the Indian think tank decided to slot him at the top of the order and the rest as they say is history.

Rohit cashed in on the opportunity and started providing India solid starts. His contributions were pivotal in India’s Champions Trophy success in 2013. The veteran batter has not looked back ever since and has become one of the best opening batters in world cricket.

Rohit has grown in stature as a leader. He has led his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians to five titles. The shrewd tactician of the game took over the captaincy duties from Virat Kohli and is presently India’s full-time captain across formats. He is also one of the mainstays of the Indian batting line-up and will be leading the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup 2022 in October.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/robin-uthappa-announces-retirement-from-all-forms-of-indian-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robin Uthappa</a> was entrusted to shepherd the innings in the middle-order during the 2007 ICC World T20. The swashbuckling batter played a sensational innings of 50 runs in the group stage match against Pakistan. But he was not able to continue his form in the later stages of the competition and scored a total of 113 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 113.00.

The Karnataka batter did not have great outings for the Men in Blue post the 2007 win and, as a result, was dropped from the team in 2008. Uthappa was constantly in and out of the side and was not able to make a mark in the limited opportunities he got.

The veteran batter last donned the India jersey in 2015. However, he was a consistent performer in the IPL circuit and piled up 4952 runs in the T20 tournament.

Uthappa retired from all forms of Indian cricket this month on September 14, 2022. Besides playing competitive cricket lately, he has been a constant figure in the broadcast field. He was commentating during the recently concluded T20I series between India and Australia.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/picking-dinesh-karthik-only-as-a-finisher-doesnt-seem-right-to-me-vivek-razdan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dinesh Karthik</a> was the back-up wicket-keeper to MS Dhoni in India's squad and was slotted in the middle order. The Tamil Nadu batter was not able to impress in the limited opportunities during the high-profile tournament. In the three matches he played, he could only score 28 runs.

With Dhoni’s meteoric rise, Karthik was always a back-up wicket-keeping option in the subsequent years. He was not given a consistent run and at several times was dropped from the side. But whenever his backs were against the wall, he made a return to the Indian team on the back of stellar performances in the IPL and domestic circuit.

In 2018, he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders and was tasked to lead the side. He had an impeccable year and stormed into the Indian white-ball setup.

Despite doing well for the Men in Blue, the wicketkeeper-batter was dropped after the 2019 World Cup semi-final loss. Post the event, he entered the broadcasting space.&nbsp;

But in the IPL 2022, the 37-year-old turned the clock back with astonishing performances for Royal Challengers Bangalore and made a comeback for the ages in the Indian T20 set-up. Karthik will be playing the role of India's 'designated finisher' in the coming T20 World Cup.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2022-irfan-pathan-picks-his-best-xi-of-the-tournament/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Irfan Pathan</a> was the number one all-rounder for the Indian team heading into the global tournament. He was entrusted to deliver the goods for the Men in Blue with the bat and ball in hand and the ace all-rounder did the same.

He took ten wickets in six innings at an economy of 6.77 and played some handy cameos for the side. The Baroda-born was also the Player of the Match in the World Cup final for his figures of 4-0-16-3.

However, the veteran all-rounder was not able to capitalise on the good outing at the World Cup and his appearances in the international circuit started decreasing. Therefore in the following years, he was not a regular feature in the team and was also not selected for the 2011 World Cup.

Irfan was given a consistent run in 2012 but was not able to impress with his performances. As a result, he was dropped from the team and never returned to the Indian set-up.

Irfan continued playing in the IPL till 2017 and featured in 103 games in his illustrious career. After bidding goodbye to competitive cricket, the ace all-rounder has donned many hats.

He has actively played his role in the broadcasting field and recently entered the acting space. Presently, he is featuring in T20 events like Legends League Cricket and Road Safety World Series.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/llc-2022-after-slaying-tigers-yusuf-pathan-hoping-to-lord-over-the-tigers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yusuf Pathan</a> was drafted into the squad for his destructive batting prowess. He made his international debut in the final when Sehwag was out injured. He showed glimpses of his batting might, smashing 15 runs off eight balls in the summit clash.

Yusuf lit the inaugural season of the IPL with his breathtaking knocks and it helped him become a renowned name in white-ball cricket. He featured regularly for India as well and was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team.

However, post the historic victory, the power-hitter was quite inconsistent with his performances and was left out of the team. Yusuf could not script a strong comeback threafter.

He continued playing in the IPL till 2019. The batting all-rounder aggregated 3204 in 174 matches and bagged 42 wickets. Post his professional cricketing stint, Yusuf has been mentoring youngsters at the Baroda Cricket Association. He is also one of the players taking part in the Legends League Cricket and Road Safety World Series.&nbsp;

Harbhajan Singh was India’s main spinner at the marquee event in South Africa. He was one of the most experienced players on the team sheet and was tasked to give India breakthroughs in the middle overs. The legendary off-spinner took seven wickets across six innings at an economy of 7.91.

Harbhajan was a match-winner with the ball and played some crucial cameos with the bat too. He was also an integral part of the 2011 World Cup winning squad.

But after 2011, his form went downhill and was not considered in the Indian set-up. He made a comeback to international cricket in 2015 but the return was short-lived as the Men in Blue had some world-class spinners at that point of time doing well for the team.

However, Harbhajan carried on playing in the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/tag/indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League</a> up until 2021, and after that, he dropped the curtain on his 23-year-long cricketing career. ‘The Turbanator’ has entered the cricket commentary landscape and is also seen on cricket shows frequently.

Recently, the veteran cricketer became a member of the Rajya Sabha. At the moment he is playing in the Legends League Cricket and leading Manipal Tigers.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-performance-of-indian-team-is-dipping-as-we-are-getting-closer-to-t20-world-cup-rp-singh/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RP Singh</a> was India’s top performer with the ball in the 2007 World Cup. He dented opposition batters upfront and was equally lethal at the death. He was the highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue taking 12 wickets in six innings at an economy of 6.33.

The swing bowler was not able to string a series of good performances post the high-profile tournament and was dropped from the team in 2009. He returned to the international arena in 2011 on the back of excellent performances in the domestic circuit and IPL. But the Uttar Pradesh bowler was never able to cement his place in the side again.

The 36-year-old featured in IPL till 2016 and took 90 wickets in 83 games at an economy of 7.9. In 2018, he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket and then turned into a Hindi cricket commentator.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/if-i-was-a-part-of-virat-kohlis-team-india-would-have-won-three-more-world-cups-sreesanth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S Sreesanth</a> carried the mantle of the pace-bowling attack along with RP Singh during the first ever T20 World cup. The speedster showed his class at the much-anticipated event taking six wickets in as many innings at an economy of 7.95. He was excellent in the semi-final game against the Aussies and finished with impressive figures of 4-1-12-2.

Sreesanth was a part of the Indian set-up for the years to follow. He was there in the 2011 World Cup-winning side but did not perform as per expectations. As a result, he was sidelined from the team.

The Kerala cricketer continued playing in the IPL but could only play till the year 2013 as he suffered a lifetime ban due to his involvement in a match-fixing scandal initially. The ban was reduced to seven years in August 2019.

Post that, the 39-year-old played for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2020-21 with the aim of scripting a comeback to top-level cricket, but he was not drafted in the IPL auction 2021.

During his ban, Sreesanth entered the entertainment industry featuring in several reality shows such as ‘ Big Boss 12’ and ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 9’.

He has also featured in many South Indian films and the most recent one being ‘Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal’ which was released in April 2022. The fast bowler is currently playing in the Legends League Cricket.

Ajit Agarkar has been one of India’s most successful fast bowlers in white-ball cricket. After India's 2007 50-overs World Cup debacle, the veteran bowler had a chance to redeem himself in the shortest format. However, he was not able to create much impact during the tournament as he only picked a lone wicket in two innings.

Agarkar’s outings during the T20 World Cup proved to be the last time he donned the blue jersey for India and was sidelined from the team soon after the T20 extravaganza.

The ace seamer participated in the Indian Premier League and played in the tournament till 2013. In the same year, he announced his retirement from professional cricket.

After hanging his playing boots, Agarkar has kept himself associated with cricket in different forms. He served as a selector in the Mumbai Cricket Association for a brief period. Nowadays, he is seen commentating in both Hindi and English mediums and serving as the assistant coach of the IPL-franchise <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/dc-delhi-capitals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delhi Capitals</a>.

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4. Gautam Gambhir