5 Indians whose Careers went Downhill after winning the 2011 World Cup

The Indian team that won the 2011 world cup was a star-studded team.

Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, the team had several players who were playing with the ultimate dream of winning the world champions tag, and it was a memorable moment to see many of them crying with happiness on winning the final on 2nd April, 2011.

But as it turned out, many of the players saw a sudden downfall in their careers post the tournament, shortening their careers abruptly. Here is a look at them.

Honorable Mention : S Sreesanth

S Sreesanth was a highly aggressive player, but could not channelise the energy into performances

A highly talented and even more aggressive fast bowler, Shantakumaran Sreesanth looked like being the answer to India’s fast bowling problems in the early stages of his career.

Though he could be expensive many times due to lesser control, he possessed the ability turn matches on their head with some decisive spells of bowling, which could be seen in the 27 tests and 53 ODIs he played for India.

Sreesanth was not a part of the initial squad that India had announced for the 2011 World cup, but got a chance to play in place of the injured Praveen Kumar.

He only played two matches in the tournament, which included the final, not taking a single wicket in either of those.

Ironically, the World cup final turned out to be his last ODI as he was dropped from the side post that. He could have still made a comeback to the team, but the spot fixing scandal in IPL 2013 meant that he could never make a return, and now is banned for life.

#5 Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel could never do justice to his talent as a fast bowler

A strongly built genuinely fast bowler, Munaf Patel had gained attention at a very young age with the speed he could generate along with the discipline in his bowling.

Patel had the ability to bowl tight lines with consistency, which showed in his career stats with an economy rate of under five in the 70 ODIs that he played.

He was an integral part of India’s line-up in the 2011 world cup, ending up as India’s third highest wicket-taker only behind Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh. His tight spell against the Pakistan batsmen in the semi-final was a real gem.

He was still young when India lifted the cup, at only 27 years of age, but form and fitness could never be on his side and he played his last matches for India in all 3 formats in 2011 itself.

Currently nearing 35 years of age, it is highly unlikely that he will make a comeback to the side.

#4 Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir could have played many more match-winning knocks for India

One of the most technically sound batsmen to emerge for India post the turn of the millennium, Gautam Gambhir for the core of the solidity of the Indian top order.

Gambhir had the ability to play risk-free cricket and still score at a fast pace, his off-side play being a real treat to watch.

He was instrumental to India’s success in all three forms of the game, scoring over 10000 runs in a career spanning over a decade.

His opening pair with Sehwag is among the best of all times in Tests, but not many people remember that he single-handedly carried the Indian batting in the 2007 T20 world cup final with a gritty 79 off 57 balls, and also was the highest scorer for India in the 2011 World Cup Final, scoring 97 runs.

However, his form dipped port the world cup triumph and soon he was dropped from the Indian teams for all formats.

He kept working hard for a comeback but could never do well in the test matches he played in 2014 and 2016 as well.

While he is still active in the IPL and has an illustrious career, another appearance for the national team seems unlikely.

#3 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was a sensationally talented bowler but lost his touch at a relatively young age

Very few bowlers in world cricket have achieved as much as Harbhajan Singh did in his long and illustrious career, spanning over 17 years.

Also known as the Turbanator, Harbhajan was a true match winner in his prime, playing over 100 test matches and taking over 700 wickets across formats, but he could have achieved much more.

At the age of 30, he was one of the senior-most players and the main spin bowler in the 2011 world cup team for India.

But Harbhajan’s career had already started going downhill, ending up with a relatively low tally of eight wickets in the tournament.

With Ravichandran Ashwin coming up to the ranks, Bhajji soon got dropped from the national teams, despite being the then highest wicket-taker in world cricket among players who had not retired.

Harbhajan did make a few comebacks into the national teams in later years, but could never be the match winner he used to be. Now, at 37, his international career is all but over.

#2 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was a destructive batsman, but could not play too much beyond the World Cup triumph

Perhaps one of the most brutal batting forces in world cricket, Virender Sehwag was a batsman who redefined aggressive batting in ODI cricket.

Despite a technique which had no footwork, such was his hand-eye coordination that his presence at the wicket used to be scary for the bowlers. His pairing with Gambhir in tests and Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs is still memorable.

Sehwag scored over 17000 international runs, including numerous batting records in both test and ODI cricket.

At 32 years, he was another senior player and also a key factor in India’s batting success in the world cup, giving India some very good starts at the top.

While he also scored a world record 219 later in 2011, but soon after, his form started dipping.

His relentless style of batting soon became the reason of his downfall with too many soft dismissals.

He was ultimately dropped from the national teams and announced his retirement in 2014.

#1 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh's career got derailed due to Cancer after being the Man of the Tournament in the World Cup

A stylish batsman, a handy bowler and an excellent fielder, Yuvraj Singh was probably the biggest talent unleashed by India before the Virat Kohli era.

Yuvraj came into the team at a very young age, took some time to cement his place but eventually became the mainstay of the Indian middle order.

While his batting prowess was always well known, it was Yuvraj’s bowling that became the X-factor for India in the 2011 world cup.

Yuvraj bowled the full quota of ten overs consistently for India and was the second highest wicket-taker for them, providing the elusive balance to the team that they always craved for. He won the man of the tournament in India’s triumphant campaign.

But destiny had something terrible written for Yuvraj, as he got diagnosed with cancer at the young age. It turned out that he was batting the problem all through the world cup.

He had to undergo rigorous treatment, and while he made several comebacks to the team, he could never achieve all that he could have done, had his career not been forced into such an unfortunate break.

He is still trying to play for India again in 2019 world cup, but his illustrious career of 304 ODIs and 8701 runs seems all but over.