India's playing 11 from the last home Test without R Ashwin - where are they now? 

Team India is all set to take on the West Indies in a two-match Test series, starting Thursday, October 2, with the first game at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The second Test, scheduled to begin on Friday, October 10, will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

This series will also mark India’s first home Tests without stalwarts like Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. Since making his debut in November 2011, Ashwin had featured in all 65 home Tests before retiring from international cricket in December 2024.

In his 106-match career, the off-spinner picked up 537 wickets at an average of 24.00 and a strike rate of 50.68, including 37 five-wicket hauls.

Before Ashwin’s retirement, the last time India played a home Test without him was way back in November 2010, during a three-match series against New Zealand. In the final Test at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur, the hosts won by an innings and 198 runs.

With Ashwin now retired, this article revisits India’s playing XI from the last home Test in which he didn’t feature and looks at where those players are today.

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India's playing 11 from the last home Test without R Ashwin

Top order: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid

In the third Test against New Zealand at Nagpur, Gautam Gambhir opened the innings and scored 78 off 127 balls, striking 12 fours. The 43-year-old has been serving as head coach of the Indian men’s team since July 2024 and recently guided India to victory in the Asia Cup 2025.

At the other end, Virender Sehwag partnered Gambhir at the top. The explosive right-hander smashed 74 off just 73 balls in the only innings India played. Sehwag retired from international cricket in 2015 and has since worked as a broadcaster, most recently covering the Asia Cup 2025.

Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, earned the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 191 off 396 deliveries. After his coaching stint with the national team, Dravid took charge of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025, where the team finished ninth. On August 31, 2025, he stepped down from the role ahead of the 2026 season.

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Middle order: Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c)

Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar also made a half-century, scoring 61 off 129 balls. Since retiring from international cricket in November 2013, he has continued to feature in veterans’ tournaments, most recently leading India Masters to the International Masters League (IML) title in March 2025 with a win over West Indies Masters.

At No. 5, VVS Laxman had a disappointing outing, managing just 12 runs off 16 deliveries. Since December 2021, he has been serving as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and occasionally steps in as interim coach of the national team, most recently during the 2024 T20I series against South Africa

Suresh Raina was also part of the XI in the Test against New Zealand but struggled, managing only three runs off 25 deliveries. The southpaw retired from international cricket in 2020 but remains active in the Legends League. He recently featured in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 and is set to represent Toronto Sixers in the Canada Super 60, scheduled to be played from October 8-13 at BC Place in Vancouver.

Indian great MS Dhoni captained the side in that match and came agonizingly close to a century, scoring 98 off 156 balls. He was last seen in action in the IPL, turning out for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where he accumulated 196 runs in 13 innings.

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Lower order: Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S. Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha

Harbhajan Singh picked up four wickets in the match across two innings. The off-spinner retired from all forms of cricket in December 2021 and has since been active in the Legends League, most recently featuring in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. Away from the field, he also co-hosts a show with his wife Geeta Basra, titled ‘Who’s The Boss?’

In the pace department, Ishant Sharma stood out with seven wickets across the two innings. More recently, he was part of the West Delhi Lions squad that lifted the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 title. His last international appearance, however, came back in 2021.

S. Sreesanth was also part of the XI in that Test, where he picked up two wickets. He co-owns the Aries Kollam Sailors franchise in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL). However, he was recently suspended by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) following allegations that he made false and derogatory remarks about the body in connection with Sanju Samson’s omission from India’s squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

The final player in the XI was former spinner Pragyan Ojha, who took five wickets across the two innings. Most recently, on September 28, he, along with RP Singh, was inducted into the men’s selection committee, which also includes Ajit Agarkar as chairperson, Shiv Sundar Das, and Ajay Ratra.