3 Indian players who made their T20I debut with Rohit Sharma in the 2007 World Cup and have retired

Team India captain Rohit Sharma made his T20I debut during the 2007 World Cup in South Africa. In fact, his first match was the historic India-England game in Durban in which Yuvraj Singh slammed Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.

He did not get a chance to bat in his debut game, but gave a glimpse of his talent by scoring a brilliant 50* off 40 balls at the same venue in the group clash against South Africa.

Rohit walked away with the 'Player of the Match' award for his impressive batting against the Proteas, as the Men in Blue won the game by 37 runs. 'Hitman' also contributed a crucial 30* off only 16 balls in the final against Pakistan in Johannesburg. He smashed two fours and a six to push India’s total to 157 for five. The bowlers then held their nerve as India restricted Pakistan to 152 and won the inaugural T20 World Cup with a five-run triumph in the summit clash.

Apart from Rohit, a few other Indian cricketers also made their T20I debuts during the World Cup in South Africa. Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj were among those who played their first T20I match during the tournament, but they were known names by then. Some of the other young guns failed to build on an impressive start.

Here’s a recap at how their careers panned out.

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#3 Joginder Sharma

Joginder Sharma celebrates a wicket with teammates during the 2007 T20 World Cup.

Joginder Sharma etched his name in Indian cricket’s history forever when he bowled the delivery that got the wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq in the 2007 T20 World Cup final. It wasn’t a great ball, but Misbah completely miscued his attempted scoop and was caught as India hung on to register an incredible victory in a thrilling final.

Like Rohit, medium-pacer Joginder made his debut in the match against England. It was an inauspicious start as he was clobbered for 57 runs in his four overs. He registered decent figures of 0 for 24 against South Africa before claiming the wickets of Mike Hussey and Brett Lee in the semi-final against Australia.

In the final against Pakistan, Joginder got the massive wicket of Younis Khan before returning at the death to end Misbah’s (43) brilliance. Incredibly, he never played another match for India. He ended his career with four T20Is and as many ODIs, claiming a total of five international wickets.

Joginder returned to the limelight in 2020, but due to a completely different reason. The former cricketer has been working as a cop since 2017. During the pandemic, as a senior-ranking police officer, he was trying to make sure citizens were following COVID-19 guidelines in his jurisdiction in the Hisar district of Haryana.

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#2 RP Singh

RP Singh celebrates the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez during the 2007 T20 World Cup final. Pic: Getty Images

Former Indian pacer RP Singh also made his T20I debut during the 2007 World Cup in South Africa. His debut match was the game against Scotland, which was abandoned. The left-arm seamer had a memorable campaign and was the joint second-leading wicket-taker in the tournament. He picked up 12 wickets in seven matches at an average of 12.66 and an economy rate of 6.33.

Singh’s best of four for 13 came in the group game against South Africa. He also made a major impact in the final against Pakistan, claiming three for 26. The youngster’s career, however, soon hit a roadblock and he found himself out of favor. Singh’s last T20I match was in 2009. He ended up claiming only 15 wickets in 10 matches in the format.

The left-armer also represented India in 14 Tests and 58 ODIs, claiming 40 and 69 wickets respectively. He announced his retirement in September 2018 at the age of 32. He now works as an analyst and shares his insights on the game.

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#1 Yusuf Pathan

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan. Pic: Getty Images

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan made his T20I debut in the 2007 World Cup final against Pakistan. Yusuf got a golden opportunity to make a mark after Virender Sehwag was ruled out due to a groin niggle. The debutant got off to a memorable start, whacking Mohammad Asif for a six in the first over. His cameo ended on 15 off eight balls as he miscued a pull off Asif and was caught.

The big-hitter was in and out of India’s white-ball squads over the next few years. He ended up playing 22 T20Is, scoring 236 runs at a strike rate of 146.58 with a best of 37*. Yusuf also claimed 13 wickets with his useful off-spin bowling.

He enjoyed better success in ODIs, scoring 810 runs in 57 matches at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 113.60. He struck two brilliant hundreds during his career, one against New Zealand and one against South Africa. However, his international career soon lost steam. Having last represented the country in 2012, he announced his retirement in February 2021.

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