India's ODI XI in Virat Kohli's debut match: Where are they now?

From captaining the India Under-19s to lift the 2008 Under-19 World Cup trophy to being one of the most talismanic skippers of the senior national team, Virat Kohli has come a long way.

The 30-year-old has found paramount success in all three formats of the game. It is tough to believe that the once-brash Delhi boy has achieved so much and been at the helm for so long. His stats will tell the story. 6613 runs in 77 Test matches at an average of 53.76; 10232 runs in 216 ODI matches with an average of 59.84; 2167 runs in 65 T20 Internationals with an average of 49.25. Captain fantastic just does not seem to stop.

Kohli is currently ranked number 1 in both Tests and ODIs as per ICC. In addition to breaking one record after another in ODIs, the Delhi-born player is also one of India's most successful captain ever.

It has been over 10 years since Chiku made his ODI debut. He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka on August 18, 2008. The Men in Blue went on to lose the match. India could manage a paltry total of 146 and Sri Lanka chased it down in just 34.5 overs, winning the match by 8 wickets. It was not the most memorable debut for Kohli and he could just score 12 runs in 22 balls. Kulasekara had got the future Indian great out by lbw.

However, it will be interesting to see where the rest of the players in the ODI XI during Kohli's debut are now. There are only 2 players besides the man himself who are still a part of the current Indian national team.

Here are the 10 players who were part of the playing 11 besides Kohli in the match against Sri Lanka:

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#1 Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir opened India's innings along with Virat Kohli on the latter's debut day. The left-handed batsman had a glorious career and played some memorable knocks for the Men in Blue.

The 37-year-old announced his retirement in December 2018. Gambhir is most remembered for some magnificent partnerships he made with Virender Sehwag, who was also his Delhi mate.

The years between 2007 and 2011 were his most successful and despite making regular comebacks in the team, Gauti could not establish himself again in the national side.

Delhi Capitals (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils) released Gambhir after his dismal outing in the 2018 edition wherein he could only manage 85 runs in 6 innings.

The Delhi-born player made 5238 runs in 147 ODI matches with an average of 39.68. It was probably the correct decision to retire from all forms of cricket.

Gambhir had a classy retirement as he scored a century in his last match - for Delhi against Andhra in the Ranji Trophy.

The former Indian opener is currently enjoying spending time with family. He was also included in the panel of experts during the IPL auctions for 2019 and it is likely that he will follow the route taken by many of his fellow retired teammates and contribute to cricket as an expert. Gauti is also likely to keep contributing to social causes.

#2 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina came in at 1 down during Kohli's debut ODI match. The aggressive left handed batsman has an impressive ODI record. In the 226 50-over matches he has played, the 32-year-old has scored 5615 runs with an average of 35.31.

The Muradnagar-born player has also been a vital component for 3-time IPL Champions Chennai Super Kings. He has been with the Men in Yellow since 2008 besides the 2016–2017 season when he played for the Gujarat Lions. Raina also had the opportunity of lifting the 2011 World Cup Trophy and was an important cog of the Indian team in those years.

Known mostly as a world-class finisher and his cameos down the batting order, Raina is still on and off in the Indian national team. With players like Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul coming to the fore, his opportunities have been limited in the recent past.

One of the most dangerous middle-order batsman India has produced, Raina is working tremendously hard to cement his place back in the national team. The selectors for the 2019 World Cup would have him on their radar despite the competition being intense for the limited spots. Raina has played some decent knocks for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and hit two fifties in his last 3 innings.

The prodigious batsman is also an effective right-arm off-break bowler in tricky situations. He will leave no stone unturned to try and make it back at the helm once again.

#3 Yuvraj Singh

Another extremely lethal batting all-rounder is the charismatic Yuvraj Singh.

The 37-year-old is sixth on the list of most ODI matches played by an Indian player. In the 304 matches Yuvi played, he scored 8701 runs with an average of 36.56 and impressive strike rate of 87.68.

Yuvraj made his ODI debut on October 3, 2000, against Kenya and last played an ODI for the Men in Blue on June 30, 2017, against The Windies.

In his prime, the Chandigarh-born player was one of the most vital cogs in the Indian team and also an excellent finisher. His left-arm orthodox spin bowling also came in handy for India. He picked up 111 wickets in his entire ODI career. Scoring 362 runs and picking up 15 wickets earned Yuvi the honour of Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup triumph.

Tragedy struck Yuvraj post the 2011 World Cup and he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. Yuvraj underwent chemotherapy and battled hard with the disease. He eventually made it back from cancer but the veteran player was never able to bring out his best again on the cricket field.

Yuvraj played a few good knocks sporadically but consistency evaded him.

The limited over great is currently playing for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy. He has been unable to produce anything extraordinary and even though he is trying his level best, it is unlikely that he will make a return for the national side. India's hero of the 2011 World Cup has himself shared that he will take a call in his career after the World Cup this year.

Yuvraj Singh was released by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2019 IPL auction. The veteran all-rounder has been picked up by Mumbai Indians for his base price of Rs. 1 crore and will be looking to make an impact this season.

#4 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut on June 23, 2007. This was a little over one year before Kohli made his debut. The Hitman has been phenomenal for the national team and is one of the best limited overs batsman.

In 193 ODIs Rohit has played for the Men in Blue, he has scored 7454 runs with an average of 47.78 and impressive strike rate of 88.67. The right-hand batsman is still going strong and forms a crucial component in the Indian side.

Rohit is a special batsman and is the only player to have hit three double centuries in ODIs. His score of 264 off 173 against Sri Lanka and it remains the highest individual ODI score till date.

The 31-year-old had a great 2018. He is expected to play a major role for The Men in Blue in the forthcoming World Cup as well.

Rohit will soon be seen in action for Mumbai Indians in the 2019 IPL. The Hitman was recently playing for India in the ongoing Test series against Australia but decided to miss out on the fourth Test owing to the birth of his daughter. He is currently back in India to be with his daughter and wife.

Rohit will, however, be joining the team back soon - ahead of the ODI series Down under.

#5 MS Dhoni

Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni has earned 332 ODI caps for the national team. He will soon surpass Mohammad Azharuddin (who has 334 caps) and become third on the list of Indian players who have played the most ODI matches.

Mahi is amongst the select few players who have scored over 10000 runs in ODIs. In the 332 matches Dhoni has played, he scored a total of 10173 runs with the average 50.11 and strike rate 87.89. However, MSD did not look his best in 2018 despite playing all the 20 ODI matches which India played.

Dhoni only scored 291 runs in the 13 innings he batted in in 2018. This does not take away the fact that he is still one of the best WK-batsman in the country. The veteran 37-year-old has witnessed a dip in form despite having an outstanding IPL in 2018.

Dhoni will soon be seen in the ODI series against Australia down under. He will then look to reignite his form and be seen leading Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

We are all aware of his lightning-quick stumpings and potency behind the stumps. The big question remains if Dhoni will be able to reawaken and bring back his batting prowess before the World Cup in 2019?

#6 Irfan Pathan

It was a delight to watch Irfan Pathan and his swing bowling during his peak years. The left-handed all-rounder played 120 ODIs for India. He scored an overall 1544 runs at an average of 23.39 and with a strike rate of 79.55. The Gujarat-born player also picked up 173 wickets in ODIs and had an economy rate of 5.27.

He played an important role during India's 2007 World T20 winning campaign. He remained an integral part of the Indian team from 2004-2006 but was in and out of the team until he played his last ODI match on August 4, 2012.

The southpaw has represented various IPL team such as Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Gujarat Lions. Pathan also holds an interesting World Record of being the fastest player to reach 1000 ODI runs and 100 ODI wickets in terms of days (1059 days).

The 34-year-old is currently playing for Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy. He has performed well and picked up an overall 14 wickets in the previous 3 matches for his side including one 5-wicket haul. Although it is highly unlikely that he will make a return to the national side, however, that is not stopping him from trying.

#7 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh is one of the most special off-spinners to have played for India. The Turbanator, as he is popularly known, made his ODI debut for India on 17th April in 1998.

The right-arm off-break bowler has played 236 ODI matches and picked up 269 wickets at a superb economy rate of 4.31. Considered to be a matchwinner in his prime, Bhajji last played an ODI for India on October 25, 2015. He was also effective with the bat and amassed 1237 runs in his ODI career.

The Jalandhar-born player played for the Mumbai Indians for 10 years and was picked up by Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2018. The attacking bowler has been retained by CSK ahead of IPL 2019.

Besides playing in the IPL, Harbhajan is also regularly seen as a part of various pre-match talk shows in cricket and also enjoys voicing his opinions of the game via Twitter.

#8 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is India's second most successful fast bowler in Test cricket. He was immensely popular for his pin-point yorkers and caused great trouble to the opposition batsman during his prime days.

The Maharashtra-born player made his ODI debut on October 3, 2000, and went on to play 200 ODIs for the Men in Blue. He has a brilliant bowling record as he picked up 282 wickets at an economy rate of 4.93 in his ODI career. The left-arm fast-medium bowler last played an ODI match on August 4, 2012.

When younger players such as Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami became the first choice picks for the selectors, Zaheer announced his retirement in 2015. His tryst with injuries also hampered what could have been an even more legendary career. He has represented Mumbai Indians, RCB, and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.

The 40-year-old is currently a bowling consultant as was recently roped in by Mumbai Indians as the Director of Cricket Operations on 18 December 2018 ahead of the 2019 IPL.

#9 Pragyan Ojha

The Bhubaneswar-born Pragyan Ojha could never really be a mainstay in the Indian national ODI team. The left-arm orthodox bowler played 18 ODI matches and picked up 21 wickets with an economy rate of 4.47.

The 32-year-old has also played 34 Tests for the national side and was more popular in the longer format of the game. Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians are the two teams Ojha has represented in the IPL.

In December 2014, Ojha's action was found to be illegal and he was barred from playing international cricket. However, after passing the requisite tests in January 2015, Ojha was allowed to play competitively once again.

The 32-year-old currently plays for Bihar in first-class cricket and is longing to make a comeback in the team, albeit that seems highly unlikely now as there is no dearth of young talent. Ojha last played an ODI for India on July 24, 2012.

#10 Munaf Patel

The tall and lanky Munaf Patel was all about discipline as well as line and length. The 35-year-old stuck to the basics. The Gujarat born player made his ODI debut for India on April 3, 2006, and went on to play 70 ODI matches for the Men in Blue.

Patel picked up 86 wickets in his entire ODI career at an economy rate of 4.95. The last ODI he played for India was on September 16, 2011, against England.

The Indian speedster has played for Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Lions in the IPL. He is most remembered for his brilliant performance during the 2011 World Cup wherein he picked up 11 wickets in 8 matches and helped the team to glory.

The veteran pacer officially hung up his boots in November 2018 after failing to get back to form. He did appear for the Rajputs in the T10 League at Sharjah in 2018.

Munaf Patel claimed during his retirement that he has 'no regrets' as almost every one of his era besides MS Dhoni has retired. He is currently trying to comprehend life outside cricket.