10 years of India's 2011 World Cup triumph: What are the heroes of historic victory doing now

It's been 10 years since MS Dhoni hit that winning six, Sachin Tendulkar was carried on the shoulders by his teammates at the Wankhede Stadium, Gautam Gambhir hit a match-winning 97, Zaheer Khan bowled that spell-binding opening spell, Yuvraj Singh and his captain celebrated the historic triumph in the middle even as billions from across the globe watched on.

On April 2, 2011, India ended a 28-year-long wait for a World Cup triumph. MS Dhoni became only the 2nd India captain after Kapil Dev to lift the 50-over World Cup. India became the first team to win a World Cup at home. The pressure of expectations must have not been easy to handle but skipper Dhoni, helped by consistent performances from a bunch of match-winners, made sure India clinched glory in Mumbai.

India lost only one match -- against South Africa in Nagpur on March 12 -- as they steamrolled oppositions, saw off stiff threats from the likes of Australia (in the quarter-final) and Pakistan (in the semi-final) before beating Sri Lanka in a chasing masterclass led by Gambhir and captain Dhoni to finish on the top step of the podium.

Not one, not two but there were several standout performances during the 2011 World Cup. While Sachin Tendulkar top-scored for India with 482 runs in 9 matches, as many as 4 Indians finished inside the list of top 10 batsmen with most runs. Zaheer Khan finished with the joint-most number of wickets -21 in the tournament while Man of the Series, Yuvraj Singh picked up 15 wickets while scoring 362 runs.

India's 2011 World Cup squad

MS Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Gauitam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan.

On the 10th anniversary of India's glorious triumph, indiatoday.in takes a look at what the 15 Indian heroes are doing in 2021. 11 of the 15 members of India's World Cup-winning squad have retired from international cricket. Only Virat Kohli and R Ashwin are playing competitive cricket at the international level.

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni retired from international cricket on August 15, 2019. However, the World Cup-winning captain has been playing in the Indian Premier League. Dhoni will lead Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming edition of IPL, starting April 9.

MS Dhoni's six off Nuwan Kulasekara to win the 2011 World Cup is probably the most iconic shot of his career (Reuters Photo)

Dhoni has not played competitive cricket apart from the IPL since the 2019 World Cup and has stayed away from commentary and coaching roles so far. Dhoni has been spending time with his family and has been involved in farming as well. Dhoni also holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army unit and has trained with the forces on multiple occasions.

After the 2011 World Cup...

He played 164 matches after the 2011 World Cup and led India at the 2015 World Cup as well.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli won the World Cup in his maiden appearance in the quadrennial spectacle. Ever since Kohli has grown leaps and bounds. He is currently India's captain across all 3 formats and is considered one of the best batsmen of this era. Kohli also captains the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. He is currently in Chennai, quarantining ahead of IPL 2021.

After the 2011 World Cup

Kohli has played 200 ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. He led India in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup. Kohli will lead India in the World Test Championship final and the T20 World Cup later this year.

Virender Sehwag

Sehwag retired from international cricket on his 37th birthday in 2015. The former India opener played in the IPL till 2015. Post his retirement, Sehwag has been an active commentator and analyst. Sehwag also runs his own school in Haryana.

Sehwag recently took part in the Road Safety World Series -- a T20 tournament in Raipur. He was part of the tournament-winning India Legends Team led by Sachin Tendulkar.

After the 2011 World Cup...

Sehwag last played an ODI for India in 2013. He played just 15 matches after the 2011 World Cup, scoring 513 runs and a hundred in the said period.

Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar retired from international cricket in November 2013, bringing the nation to a standstill. The batting great served as Member of Parliament between 2012 and 2018.

Tendulkar has not taken to active coaching, but he has been the mentor and icon of 5-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians. The Master Blaster has also done commentary stints, albeit rarely, in major series.

Tendulkar recently played the Road Safety World Series wherein he led India Legends to the title. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 last week.

After the 2011 World Cup.

Sachin Tendulkar played only 10 ODIs after the World Cup in 2011. He brought up his 100th hundred in the ODI format at the Asia Cup in 2012.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj was undoubtedly the biggest match-winner for India at the 2011 World Cup. 7 months after the World Cup triumph, it was revealed that Yuvraj was suffering from a tumour in his lung. In early 2012, it was confirmed that the tumour was cancerous -- mediastinal seminoma.

Yuvraj had been battling with the tumour even during the World Cup. The all-rounder was spotted vomiting several times during India's campaign. However, Yuvraj fought back and recovered from cancer after undergoing treatment in the United States in 2012.

By August 2012, Yuvraj was back playing for India. He represented india at the 2012 T20 World Cup, 2014 T20 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy. Yuvraj announced retirement in 2019 but he decided to return to competitive cricket in 2020.

Yuvraj played competitive T20 tournaments overseas and also featured in the Road Safety World Series along with the likes of Tendulkar and Sehwag in Raipur.

The World Cup hero has stayed away from commentary and coaching gigs. However, Yuvraj has mentored the Punjab state team on several occasions. Yuvraj also runs 'YouWeCan' foundation which aims to fight cancer through awareness, prevention, early detection, patient support and survivor empowerment.

After the 2011 World Cup

Yuvraj Singh played 30 ODis after the 2011 World Cup and was part of the Indian team that finished runners-up at the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir is currently serving as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and won from the East Delhi constituency in 2019.

Gautam Gambhir top-scored for India in the final with 97 runs. (AFP Photo)

Gambhir also makes it a point to be active with commentary duties. He is also a popular analyst with newspapers and sports portals in the country. He also runs the Gautam Gambhir Foundation which is aimed at helping the needy. Gambhir also has been supporting children of martyrs through his foundation.

Gambhir retired from international cricket in December 2018. The star cricketer played the Indian Premier League till 2018. He led Kolkata Knight Riders in two triumphant campaigns -- 2014 and 2018 before returning to Delhi Capitals in what proved to be his final season in the IPL.

After the 2011 World Cup

Gambhir played 33 ODIs for India after the 2011 World Cup. He last played an ODI in 2013.

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer has been the mentor of Mumbai Indians over the last 3 years. Zaheer joined MI as the Director of Cricket in 2018 and has been associated with the 5-time champions ever since.

Apart from the mentorship role at MI, Zaheer has been an active commentator and analyst. Zaheer has been part of Hindi and English commentary panels in the recent past. Zaheer had announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket as early as 2015 but he continued playing in the Indian Premier League. He captained and mentored Delhi Capitals in 2017 before bidding goodbye to the T20 tournament.

After the 2011 World Cup

Zaheer Khan played only 9 ODIs after the 2019 World Cup, last playing a 50-over international in 2012.

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh continues to be an active cricketer despite having last played competitive cricket at IPL 2019. He is gearing up for IPL 2021 wherein he will be playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, his third franchise. Harbhajan had pulled out of IPL 2020, citing personal reasons but the off-spinner was bought for Rs 2 crore by KKR at the auction in February, this year.

Apart from playing cricket, Harbhajan has been keeping himself busy with broadcast gigs. An active commentator and an analyst on popular television platforms, including AajTak and India Today, Harbhajan continues to be associated with the sport.

After the 2011 World Cup

Harbhajan played only 10 ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. He was part of the T20I side until 2016 and Test and ODI sides until 2015.

Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra has been an active commentator and expert. He predominantly does Hindi commentary for India's international assignments. The former India pacer retired from all forms of cricket in 2017. Nehra played the Indian Premier League until 2017 following which he worked as assistant coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

After the 2011 World Cup

Ashish Nehra did not feature for India in ODI cricket after the 2011 World Cup semi-final. However, he played T20I cricket for India until 2017.

Sreesanth

Sreesanth returned to competitive cricket earlier this year, representing Kerala in the domestic white-ball tournaments. Sreesanth was 28 years old when he represented India at the 2011 World Cup. However, his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal forced him away from competitive cricket for close to 7 years. Sreesanth tried his hand at politics, acting and reality shows before returning to the sport.

The BCCI had banned Sreesanth for life in August 2013 for his alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal that rocked the Indian cricketing fraternity. After long legal battles, the BCCI reduced his life ban to seven years. His ban expired in September 2020.

After the 2011 World Cup

Sreesanth did not play a single ODI for India after the 2011 World Cup. However, having returned to competitive cricket, the pacer hopes to make an India comeback. He was snubbed by IPL franchises as he did not make the shortlist for the auction in February.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is gearing up for his IPL return. After having pulled out of IPL 2020 due to personal reasons, the left-handed batsman will be playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. The World Cup-winner had been training in Uttar Pradesh in the lead up to the tournament. He played the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament earlier this year.

Raina retired from international cricket, hours after Dhoni announced his retirement on August 15, 2020. Along with his wife, Priyanka, Raina runs the Gracia Raina Foundation that focuses on creating awareness about maternal health and adolescent health in India.

After the 2011 World Cup

Raina played 111 ODis after the 2011 World Cup. He was part of India's limited-overs set-up until 2018. Raina was also part of the Champions Trophy-winning Indian side in 2013.

R Ashwin

R Ashwin, much like Kohli, won the World Cup in his maiden appearance. The off-spinner has grown from strength to strength since the triumph in 2011. While Ashwin has not played limited-overs cricket since 2017, he is considered one of the greatest spinners of this era.

Ashwin is currently in Mumbai, gearing up for IPL 2021. He represents the Delhi Capitals franchise. Ashwin had led Punjab Kings after he made the move to the Punjab-based franchise from Chennai Super Kings.

After the 2011 World Cup

Ashwin played 102 ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. He was part of the Champions Trophy-winnings side in 2013. Ashwin was india's lead spinner at the 2015 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel retired from international cricket in 2018 but the former India pacer has been keeping himself busy, playing franchise-based T20 competitions. He represented Kandy Tuskers in the inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League in 2020.

Patel was part of the India Legends team that won the inaugural edition of the Road Safety World Series in Raipur last month. He played the IPL till 2017 and domestic cricket till 2016.

After the 2011 World Cup

Munaf played only 8 ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. Marred by injuries, Munaf did not play international cricket for India after 2011.

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in February 2021. The all-rounder recently played the Road Safety World Series for India Legends in Raipur. Yusuf said last week that he tested positive for Covid-19 and has been in isolation at home.

Yusuf played the IPL until the 2019 edition and was a key performer for Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad over the years.

After the 2011 World Cup

Yusuf played just 6 ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. The Baroda all-rounder did not play international cricket after 2012.

Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla continues to actively play competitive cricket. The 32-year-old will be turning up for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 after being bought by the 5-time champions for Rs 2.40 crore.

Chawla was part of the Gujarat side in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in 2021.

After the 2011 World Cup

Chawla did not play for India in ODIs after the 2011 World Cup. His last outing in India colours came in December 2012 when he represented the senior national team in a T20I against England.