14 Members of India’s Iconic 2011 World Cup Squad Retired; Only Virat Kohli Still Standing Tall

14 Members of India’s Iconic 2011 World Cup Squad Retired: Fourteen years ago, India won the ODI World Cup title at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, creating one of the most tear-jerking moments in the history of Indian cricket. Now, as Piyush Chawla has officially called it a day from all formats of the game, that iconic 15-member World Cup squad is nearly five or at least very much in sunset mode. Only one name remains; of course, that name is Virat Kohli.

Chawla who announced retirement via social media with a grateful note was one of the youngest in the 2011 squad. While he was only a role player in the tournament, even the selection at that time raised few eyebrows. MS Dhoni and the team management primarily kept Harbhajan Singh among the spinners. As for the spinners, Harbhajan played in all of India's matches. Yuvraj played an important role with the ball in the World Cup, taking 15 wickets. Chawla played 3 matches by taking 4 wickets.

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Of the 15 legends with MS Dhoni who made history in 2011, legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj, Gautam Gambhir, and Zaheer Khan all exited long back. Tendulkar and Ashish Nehra exited the game with a farewell match to tribute in the memory of them.

Chawla's career was shaped by early promise and the challenge of fighting for survival in a crowded spin environment. He made his debut at 17 in 2006 and showcased guile and variety. Even though his international career got curtailed to 35 overall appearances, he had a significant presence in domestic cricket and IPL. He was more than a handful, with over 190 IPL wickets and being a consistent wicket taker.

What are these 14 players up to now?

MS Dhoni: Dhoni retired from all forms of International cricket in August 2020, more than a year after he played his last match for India in a World Cup - England. Since, he has mainly been playing the IPL getting active and being available for the Chennai Super Kings - the only competition he plays.

Sachin Tendulkar: Post the World Cup win in 2011, Tendulkar lost form, announced his ODI retirement in 2012, but not before capitalizing on 100 international centuries with his iconic knock during the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in that year. In November 2013, Tendulkar played his last Test for India against West Indies as well as play the 200th Test.

Gautam Gambhir: The left-handed opener was in-and-out of the Indian team for most of the later part of his career and played his last match in 2014. The emergence of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay’s consistent performances in Test cricket had left Gambhir behind and unable to find a way back on the team. He retired in 2018.

Yuvraj Singh: Months after the World Cup win, Yuvraj revealed that he was suffering from lung cancer. Obviously, he was away from the field for a long time before returning in late 2012 but did not have the same consistency in his performances. In 2017, he made a return to the Indian team again but failed to make the XI consistently. He retired in 2019.

Virender Sehwag: After 2011, Sehwag's form slipped behind a competition and injuries rose and he was last seen playing for India in 2013, announcing retirement for all formats in 2015.

Zaheer Khan: Zaheer @ 34 was India's leader of the pace attack in 2011 but played until 2014 with an ongoing battle with injury. Zaheer Khan retired from international cricket back in 2015, and has then taken on the jobs of commentary and mentoring.

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Harbhajan Singh: The off-spinning bowler was still popping up now and again, but once Ravichandran Ashwin and a host of other spinners emerged, Singh soon made way for more energetic play. His last appearance for India came in 2016 which signalled the end of a long international career. Singh eventually retired in 2021 after partaking in his fare share of matches in the IPL. He is now a TV pundit.

Suresh Raina: Raina played a key role in the middle order following India’s World Cup victory in 2011 for a respectable number of years thereafter in limited overs. Unfortunately, a combination of injuries, bad form and competition led to a questionable Raina by 2018. He retired from international cricket in 2020, just a few minutes after MS Dhoni announced his retirement.

Ashish Nehra: At the end of his playing career, he was well known for a number of comebacks. Nehra in 2016-17 accumulated a number of fouls, and seemed to always find his way back into the T20I set-up - which revived his dying T20I career. He decided to retire on a high after his farewell match in Delhi, in 2017. He transferred into coaching upon retiring, and notably led Gujarat Titans to an IPL title in 2022. He currently still is a coach at the franchise.

Munaf Patel: The seamer played in very few matches after 2011, and literally was never in front of the nation again after 2012 in India colours. He returned to domestic cricket for a period of time, before he smoothly bowed out. Munaf announced his retirement in 2018, after he had faded from the limelight.

Yusuf Pathan: Yusuf was better known for his power hitting ability and could not tie down a place in the Indian team after 2012. He last played for India in 2012, but played domestic and T20 franchise cricket. He announced his retirement in 2021 and only plays occasionally in legends' leagues.

Ravichandran Ashwin: Ashwin's career took off after 2011 when he took over as India's number one spinner in Test cricket. Eventually, his fortunes in white-ball cricket waned, but his livelihood in red-ball cricket took off. He returned to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ODI World Cup in 2023 but wasn't a constant member of the side. He made his retirement from international cricket from all forms in December last year.

Piyush Chawla: After 2011, Chawla could not stick in the side and played his last international match in 2012. He played consistently well in the IPL but could not return to the national side. He retired in 2025.

Sreesanth: The fast bowler's career was interrupted after his arrest in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. A long ban kept him out of the game, but he made headlines during his absence. Sreesanth was cleared to return in 2020 but ended up retiring in 2022 without making his comeback.

Virat Kohli only player remaining

Kohli, who shored up the final with a solid 35, is the last player standing from that generation. The batting stalwart at age 36 is only active in ODIs, as he announced his retirement from Test cricket a month ago. Kohli left the T20Is last year, after India won the World Cup in the West Indies.

During his career, Kohli won everything in white-ball formats, as he won the Champions Trophy twice (2013 and 2025), which is what made the long drought for the T20 World Cup in 2024 so sweet.

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