The 2007 ICC World T20-winning Indian team

The victorious 2007 T20 World Cup squadThree hours might not seem much to many, but in cricket, three hours can change your entire life. Three hours can make a hasty decision to appoint a wicket-keeper as captain look like a master plan. Three hours can turn nobodies into superstars. Three hours can give the world a new champion. On this day 24th September eight years ago, India won the inaugural ICC World T20 and history was never the same.Going into the T20 World Cup in 2007, India had problems. They had been shamefully booted out from the group stages of the ICC ODI World Cup earlier that year by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in spite of featuring world class players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. The entire country was in uproar and changes had to be made. Another showpiece event was coming in September the T20 World Cup, a format in which India hardly had any experience in. Another early exit would be devastating.Harsh decisions were made. Rahul Dravid resigned from the ODI captaincy and everybody wondered whom it would go to. Would it be Virender Sehwag, captain of the Delhi Ranji team or would it be Yuvraj Singh, the promising all-rounder? Finally, the jury was out. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed as the captain for ODIs and T20s, effectively beginning from the T20 World Cup in September.It was bedlam. There were many praising the BCCI for handing the captaincy to a new candidate while others criticized them for not giving it to a more experienced player. But the BCCI remained silent. They would wait and watch. The 15-man team for the World Cup was announced, with a lot of senior players being axed. A new-look team was put together, and they travelled to South Africa, where they made history.The World Cup winning team was honoured beyond their wildest imaginations, from individual honours to a city-wide open-roof bus tour. For many of them, their careers kick-started from that point onwards.But where are those heroes now? Are they still honoured? Are they still remembered for their match-winning performances eight years ago? It’s time to find out:

#1 Piyush Chawla

The only player in the ICC World T20 squad to not play a game, Piyush Chawla spent most of the time in the dugouts or carrying drinks. He played quite a few international matches after that, which earned him a place in the 2011 ICC World Cup, which was also won by India.

He last played for the national team in December 2012. He still plays for his state team, Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Though he is vying for a place in the national side, his chances look bleak as he faces stiff competition from the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Axar Patel.

#2 Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar only played three matches in the ICC World T20, where he proved to be extremely expensive, giving runs at an economy of 9.37. After the tournament, he fell out of favour with the selectors due to a lack of form and injuries. He managed a brief return in 2008 but was not able to deliver.

He was part of the Ranji-trophy winning Mumbai team in 2009 and 2010, before retiring from all forms of cricket in 2013. He now provides expert opinions on cricket on several channels and sports websites. Agarkar nowadays is quite good with golf too. In 2016, he won a corporate tournament and qualified to represent India in the World Corporate Golf Challenge and won.

#3 Yusuf Pathan

Though Yusuf Pathan only played in one match in the ICC World T20, it was the crucial one – the final. He impressed initially with a huge six, but soon got out and did not make a mark in the game. After the World Cup, he was a regular in the team for a period of time and was even picked for the ICC World Cup in 2011.

His ability to hit match-winning knocks kept him in the team until loss of form and emergence of other all-rounders made him lose his place. He last played for India in March 2012. Currently, Yusuf plays for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

#4 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik’s best moment of the ICC World T20 had to be that spectacular catch in the slips to dismiss Graeme Smith in the knockout match. Though Karthik was in and out of the team on several occasions, he failed to get a permanent spot.

Karthik was also one of the most expensive players of the IPL for two consecutive seasons. Currently, he plays for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and for Gujarat Lions in the IPL.

#5 Joginder Sharma

Joginder bowled the last over against Pakistan in the final

Joginder Sharma will forever be remembered as MS Dhoni’s first ever lucky charm. The man who bowled the last over of the ICC World T20 has unfortunately had not much luck since then. He met with a serious road accident which left him with multiple head injuries and around 45 stitches.

Since then, he has played for his home team Haryana in the Ranji Trophy and briefly for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He has not played for India since the T20 World Cup in 2007. Joginder presently is serving as a DSP in the Haryana Police catching the bad guys.

#6 Shanthakumaran Sreesanth

Of all the players in the squad, perhaps nobody fell as hard as S. Sreesanth did. With an impressive spell of 2-12 against Australia in the semi-final, Sreesanth seemed destined to be India’s pace spearhead, but inconsistent form and a tendency to give away easy runs made him lose his place in the side.

He last played for India in August 2011. He fought back with good performances in the IPL and seemed ready to bounce back into the team. But tragedy struck, and he was found guilty of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League, and was banned for life. Though he was acquitted earlier this year, prospects of him playing for India seem bleak, which is perhaps why he has ventured into politics.

#7 Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan was India’s biggest find in the ICC World T20, with 10 wickets in 7 games, including 3 in the final, which earned him the Man of the Match. After that, Pathan suffered a series of injuries which lost him his place in the side, and the need for a good pace-bowling all-rounder was negated by the appearance of Ravindra Jadeja.

Though Pathan managed to claw his way back a couple of times, he failed to impress. He last played for India in October 2012. He currently plays for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and for Rising Pune Supergiants in the IPL. With the emergence of Rishi Dhawan and a few other all-rounders, Pathan’s chances of making it back to the team do not look very good.

#8 Rudra Pratap Singh

RP Singh was India’s pace spearhead during the ICC World T20, and finished with 12 wickets in 7 games, with excellent performances against South Africa and Pakistan. His ability to swing the ball under lights made him a tough bowler to play shots against.

But he was soon figured out by opposition batsmen, who took advantage of his wayward line and length to score heavily off him, which resulted in him being dropped from the side. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the IPL for the first few seasons but was dropped once again.

He last played for India in September 2011. He currently plays for Gujarat in the Indian domestic circuit.

#9 Harbhajan Singh

India’s star spinner in the ICC World T20, Harbhajan continued to play a major role for India in the next few years. He provided crucial breakthroughs, stemmed the flow of runs and even scored centuries against New Zealand. He was instrumental in India winning the ICC World Cup in 2011.

But a lack of form coincided with the emergence of Ashwin, Jadeja and Ojha, and Harbhajan was quickly dropped from the team. He made a comeback in the recently concluded tour to Sri Lanka but failed to impress. It remains to be seen whether he will be considered for future tours, especially since they will be held in India, where spinners flourish.

Harbhajan plays for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy and for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

#10 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was one of the players whose career sky-rocketed after the ICC World T20. With good performances against South Africa and Pakistan, Rohit fetched a high price in the inaugural IPL, where he showcased his talent of hitting the big shots.

A call to the national team followed, and he impressed in the 2008 Commonwealth Bank Series. Though he showed a tendency to play loose shots, he was persisted with, and he played many match winning innings.

He was picked for Tests in 2013, and he scored two centuries in his first two matches. Captain MS Dhoni’s persistence paid off as Rohit hit two double centuries in ODIs, and he is still the only man to do so.

#11 Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa was perhaps India’s unsung hero in the ICC World T20. He scored a handy half-century in the opening match against Pakistan and then gave Yuvraj Singh good company in the semi-finals against Australia. His timely run-out of Imran Nazir in the finals was what changed the complexion of the game.

But fitness issues and lack of form led to him being dropped, and he has scored heavily in the domestic circuit to make up for it. He was picked for the tour to Zimbabwe in July last year but was not considered in the 30-man probables for the series against South Africa in August last year.

He was the highest scorer in the IPL in 2014 and continues to make big scores for his home team Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy.

#12 Virender Sehwag

Once the man who made opposition bowlers tremble, Virender Sehwag now struggles for a place in the side. After the ICC World T20, Sehwag racked up the scores with another triple century in Chennai and then a 293 in Mumbai. He wasn’t quiet in ODIs either and scored a double century against West Indies.

But a mere 5 ODIs later, he was dropped from the squad in 2013 and never played another game. His form was not consistent in the IPL or the Ranji Trophy either where occasional flashes of his old brilliance were overshadowed by cheap dismissals and loose shots.

Sehwag has recently quit from the Delhi Ranji side and joined Haryana, where he hopes for a change in fortune. He also retired from IPL and international cricket last year and played in the inaugural Masters Champions League.

#13 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir hopes his domestic performances will help him back into the national side

One of two heroes of the ICC World T20, Gautam Gambhir scored three fifties en route to helping India win the cup. He was then a mainstay in the Indian team until the 2011 World Cup, where again he scored a string of fifties and a crucial knock in the final to help India win the trophy.

He was named the Captain for a 5-match series against New Zealand, where he won 5-0, bringing up rumours of him succeeding MS Dhoni as ODI Captain. But poor form found him out, and he failed to score a single century in over 30 innings. He was dropped from the squad in 2013 but was called back for a Test series the next year, where he failed to make an impact.

Gambhir has led the Kolkata Knight Riders to two trophies in the Indian Premier League, and he is their highest scorer. He has been named captain of the Delhi Ranji team, and he will hope that performances in the coming domestic season will be enough to help him regain his spot in the national side.

#14 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh brought the flair of T20 cricket to India with his feat of hitting 6 sixes in a single over against Stuart Broad. His subsequent 70 off 30 balls against Australia sealed India’s entry into the finals, and he was undoubtedly the best player in the tournament.

He continued his rampant run of form over the next few years, playing with a malignant tumour – which later turned out to be cancerous – throughout the 2011 World Cup, where he was named the Man of the Tournament.

After his rehabilitation for cancer, Yuvraj attempted a return to the side, but he was never the same. His timing and footwork had dropped, and he found it hard to retain his place in the side.

Due to repeated failures in the IPL and 2014 ICC World T20, Yuvraj was dropped from all three formats of the game in 2014 and only came back earlier in the year to take part in the 2016 World T20. Yuvraj plays for his home team Punjab in the Ranji Trophy.

#15 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The 2007 ICC World T20 changed the face of Indian cricket, and MS Dhoni was at the helm of it. His Midas touch floored every opposition in his way, and he quickly rose to become Indian captain in all three formats.

Successful ventures came one after the other, including victories in South Africa and West Indies, which culminated in India being ranked Number 1 in Test cricket. He was no less in ODIs, leading India to the World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

But his luck began to fade, and his eccentricities failed more than they succeeded. A string of away losses prompted him to retire from Test match cricket, and the semi-final exit in the 2015 World Cup raised questions about his retirement.

But Dhoni was mum about them all, and his only target now is captaining India in the shorter formats to further glory. Whatever accusations are being levelled at Dhoni, what cannot be argued is that he will go down as one of the best captains that India – and the world – has ever seen.

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Edited by Staff Editor

The 2007 ICC World T20-winning Indian team - Where are they now?