5 Indian players part of the 2014 T20 World Cup final and are still actively playing in 2024 ft. Rohit Sharma 

Team India was annihilated by England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide. The Men in Blue returned the compliments to the inventors of the game, crushing the defending champions by 68 runs in the second semi-final to book a place in the 2024 T20 World Cup final.

This is the first time since 2014 that the Men in Blue qualified for the T20 World Cup final. They had to change their template of playing T20 cricket since their semi-final defeat to England. Since then, the Men in Blue have only gone from strength to strength in the white ball formats.

The inaugural champions will now face South Africa in the final in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. The Proteas also made history by qualifying for their first-ever final in World Cup history (both ODI and T20I). Also for the first time, an unbeaten team will be crowned champions of the T20 World Cup.

Sri Lanka got the better of India in the 2014 final and some of the Indian squad members who are still part of this 2024 T20 World Cup will look to settle the scores and bag home their second T20 World Cup trophy since winning the first one way back in 2007.

Having said that, let us have a look at five Indian players part of the 2014 T20 World Cup final and are still actively playing in 2024.

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#1 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was also part of India's triumphant campaign back in 2007.

The current Indian captain Rohit Sharma was also part of the 2014 T20 World Cup final and scored 29 off 26 deliveries while opening the batting. By then, Rohit had established himself as a white ball opener for India but he has become an absolute legend of the game in the white ball formats in 2024.

Rohit, who was desperately struggling for runs coming into the tournament, led the team from the front, especially in the last two matches. If the extraordinary 92 off 41 balls against Australia was a mayhem of sorts, the half-century against England in the semi-final was equally important.

After a heartbreak in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Rohit will certainly look to put that behind him and aim to lead his side to their second T20 World Cup title. A much improved and mature player than in 2014, Rohit’s ultra-aggressive approach in this format has turned the fortunes around for India.

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#2 Virat Kohli

Kohli scored a 58-ball 77 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World Twenty20 final.

Kohli might not have been among the runs in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup but he is certainly one of the finest white ball players to have ever graced the game. After a sensational time with the bat in the IPL 2024, many experts felt that it could be Kohli’s best World Cup in this format.

However things haven't gone in that manner but for a player of Kohli's class, a big knock is always around the corner. Head coach Rahul Dravid is hoping for something special from the former skipper in the final in Barbados.

Kohli was an integral member of the 2014 T20 World Cup squad. He scored a brilliant 77 off 58 deliveries as India posted an underwhelming score of 130 in their allotted 20 overs. He started his innings freely and smashed boundaries at will. However, just when it looked like Kohli and Dhoni would go hammer and tongs in the death overs, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara produced a masterclass of death bowling, which restricted India to 130.

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#3 Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja is one of the pivotal members of the Indian side.

Jadeja has been one of those very few all-format players who has made a significant impact in all three facets of the game. He is a gun fielder and a proactive batter. He might leak runs on flat pitches but whenever the conditions are helpful, Jadeja can become a lethal option.

He was part of the 2014 T20 World Cup final playing XI and is expected to play the 2024 T20 World Cup final as well. While he hasn't quite risen to the occasion either with the ball or the bat, he is a man for the big occasions and you cannot keep a player of his abilities out of your playing XI.

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#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin celebrates picking a wicket in the 2014 T20 World Cup final against Sri Lanka.

Back in the day, Ashwin and Jadeja used to be the two go-to spinners for India across all formats. Ashwin was an integral member of the Indian white-ball setups but the emergence of players like Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal has taken Ashwin out of India’s white-ball schemes.

He was part of the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cup squads but hardly played in T20Is before and after. It was Thisara Perera who smashed a boundary of Ashwin on the final delivery of the 2014 final to take Sri Lanka over the finish line.

Ashwin though is still an integral member of the Indian red-ball setup and is arguably the greatest off-spinner in the format. Despite having a variety of tricks up his sleeve, Ashwin hasn't managed to get consistent wickets in the shorter formats and has played the role of a supporter rather than being a wicket-taker.

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#5 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane was cleaned up by Angelo Matthews in the 2014 T20 World Cup final.

Rahane was once touted as one of the most red ball batters for India along with Virat Kohli. However, a poor run of form for a considerable amount of time has meant that Rahane has gone out of the selector's radar in all three formats.

Rahane was part of the 2014 T20 World Cup final and was dismissed for just three runs.

He is unlikely to make a return to the white ball set-up anytime soon, especially given how India has changed their batting template. Even in Tests, it looks highly unlikely that the selectors will move backwards. Rahane was given enough chances and maybe it's time for the youngsters to be given a longer rope.