CWC History: India’s 2011 World Cup winners - Where are they now?

Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, and S Sreesanth

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Harbhajan Singh is one of the best spinners to have ever played for India. The off-spinner has picked up more than 700 wickets for India. He was a key member of the Indian team for almost 15 years and played a big part in India’s success at home and overseas. The 38-year-old lost his steam after Kumble’s retirement and the rise of Ravi Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav did not help either. However, he is still going strong in the Indian Premier League.

Zaheer Khan led the Indian pace attack for almost a decade and finished as the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup. His career was hampered by injuries during the later stages and he eventually retired in 2015. He played for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2016 and 2017 but withdrew himself from the 2018 IPL auction. Ahead of IPL 2019, Mumbai Indians appointed Zaheer as the Director of Cricket Operations. He has also featured behind the commentary box in the past year.

One of the most gifted pacers, Munaf Patel failed to live up to his potential in international cricket. Patel played eight games for India in the 2011 World Cup and picked up 11 wickets in the tournament. However, he last played an ODI game in 2011. He played IPL till 2017 and announced his retirement in November 2018. Munaf has represented India in 70 ODIs and 13 Tests.

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth made his ODI debut in 2005 and played 53 games for India. The 2011 World Cup final turned out to be his last ODI for India. He caught in a spot-fixing scandal in 2013 and was banned for life. Though the ban was lifted by Supreme Court in March 2019, he eventually lost his hunger to make a comeback and also the age was not on his side. The 36-year-old has ventured into professional acting, reality TV, and dancing.