5 Indian cricketers who faded away after the 2011 World Cup

“Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!” These words by Ravi Shastri resonated through the ears of over a billion Indians watching the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka.

April 2, 2011 - A day which every single Indian fondly remembers. However, it was not just Dhoni’s heroics in the final, or Yuvraj’s heroics throughout the tournament which led India to world cup success but in fact, it was a valiant team effort.

However, there are few players who were included in the World Cup squad, but soon faded away due to their lacklustre performances, or due to another player performing better and taking their place in the team.

Here is a list of five players who faded away after achieving success with the Indian side in the 2011 World Cup.

#5 Piyush Chawla

After playing for the Indian U-19 team at the age of 15, Piyush Chawla was destined to be the next big spinner in the Indian cricket team. He made his Test debut in 2006 against England at the tender age of 17 and his ODI debut in the next year against Bangladesh.

Things did not go according to plan for the leggie from Uttar Pradesh as he was overshadowed by Harbhajan Singh at the beginning of his career and Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja later on his career. The main problem with Piyush Chawla’s bowling was that he tried too many variations and hence did not cause much trouble to the opposition batsmen.

#4 S Sreesanth

Having made his debut in 2006, Sreesanth made headlines with his breathtaking performance against South Africa in Johannesburg with a match-winning bowling spell which led India to a historic victory. He became an integral part of the squad since then and led India to numerous victories over the years. His performance in the 2007 World T20 will not be forgotten for years to come.

However, his career came to a standstill when he was convicted in the IPL spot-fixing scandal of 2013 along with few other Rajasthan Royals players. He was banned for life in September 2013 but was acquitted in 2015.

#3 Munaf Patel

Having made his debut around the same time as Sreesanth, Munaf Patel became one of India’s go to bowlers due to the pace he generated and his ability to reverse swing the ball. However, as the years went by, he lost pace at an alarming rate but continued to generate reasonable success with the Men in Blue. He ended up as India’s 3^rd highest wicket-taker in the World Cup.

With the introduction of pacers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami later on, Munaf Patel soon faded away and it is highly unlikely for him to make a comeback into the squad.

#2 Yusuf Pathan

This hard-hitting batsman from Baroda is one of those few cricketers who found immense success at the domestic level, but not so much on the international stage. Apart from a few noteworthy performances for the limited overs side which include his match-winning performance against New Zealand in 2010, Yusuf did not have much to show for.

He was included in the squad for the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup but managed to play only one game in the former, when he was included in the playing eleven for the final against Pakistan. With a lot of youngsters in the fray for the middle-order for India currently, Yusuf’s time with the Men in Blue might have come to an end.

#1 Harbhajan Singh

One of India’s most successful bowlers ever, Harbhajan Singh had a career to remember with the ODI and Test sides. He finished his career as the second-highest wicket taker in Tests, behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan.

Despite being included in the squad for the Asia Cup and the World T20 last year, Bhajji, as he is fondly known, played only one match in the Asia Cup against UAE. With the presence of spinners like Ashwin, Jadeja, and Amit Mishra in the team, and Kuldeep Yadav on stand-by, it looks like Harbhajan’s career might have just come to and end.