India's playing 11 from Rahul Dravid's only T20I

Rahul Dravid, one of the finest cricketers to have graced the game of cricket, celebrates his 51st birthday on Thursday (January 11). The current head coach of the Indian team remains one of the very few players in world cricket to score 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs.

Dravid is currently with the Indian team in Mohali, preparing for the opening T20I against Afghanistan. Fondly known as the 'Wall', Dravid tormented opposition bowling attacks with his resolute technique. He could grind for long hours and score important runs for his country when their backs were against the wall.

Having made his international debut (both in ODIs and Tests) in 1996, Dravid went on to establish himself as a prolific run scorer in both forms of the game. Dravid's illustrious career stretched for sixteen years, but in that period, he only played a solitary T20I match.

Back in 2011, just before retiring from all forms of the game, Dravid played in his only T20I against England and scored a quickfire 31 off 21 deliveries.

Dravid's knock included three consecutive sixes off the bowling of Samit Patel, but it wasn't enough to take India over the finish line. England chased down the target with three balls remaining to win the only T20I.

Now, let us have a look at India's playing XI from that, and where are they now:

Openers - Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane plays a stroke during his knock of 61 in that game. (Pic: Getty)

The baby-faced wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel scored just 10 runs in that particular match, while his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane announced his arrival in style with a stroke-filled 61 off 39 deliveries, which laid the foundation for the Indian middle order.

Parthiv made his Test debut for India way back in 2002, but the emergence of MS Dhoni saw every other wicketkeeper fall off the pecking order. He was in and out of the team and eventually announced his retirement from competitive cricket in December 2020.

He joined as the talent scout for the Mumbai Indians a few days later. Parthiv was also appointed the captain of the Gujarat Giants in the Legends League Cricket season 2. He can also be seen sporadically in commentary roles for IPL games.

Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane is struggling to find his place in the Indian side after a lackluster run for a long period. He was one of India's premier batters in the longest format but has lost his place due to his indifferent form and the emergence of players like Shreyas Iyer..

Batters - Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni

Rohit, Kohli and Dravid in discussion ahead of their Asia Cup clash against Pakistan (Pic: Getty)

Dravid is the current head coach of the Indian team, and it was under his tutelage that India won all ten matches in the fifty-over World Cup before eventually losing against Australia in the final. The upcoming T20 World Cup could be his last chance to win a global event with the senior team.

Virat Kohli is a former Indian captain and is currently an active player in all three formats of the game. Kohli scored 765 runs in the fifty-over World Cup, which is the most by a batter in a single edition. He has also found his lost touch in the longest format and recently scored some useful runs against South Africa in the two-match Test series.

Rohit Sharma is the current captain of the Indian team across formats. Rohit and Kohli haven't played a single T20I since India's demoralizing defeat against England in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final. However, their inclusion in the Afghanistan series all but clears the doubt surrounding their availability for the T20 World Cup slated to be held in June-July.

Suresh Raina scored a brisk 33 off 19 deliveries in that particular match, which included a couple of fours and three sixes. Raina retired from international cricket on August 15 (2020), the day when his CSK teammate and skipper MS Dhoni also announced his formal retirement from international cricket.

Raina announced his retirement from all forms of the game in September 2022, bringing down the curtains on an illustrious India and IPL career. Since his retirement, Raina has been seen plying his trade in T10 and T20 leagues across the world.

One of the most influential captains to have graced the game and the only one with three ICC titles to his name, MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket almost a year after playing his final match (the 2019 World Cup semi-final) in August 2020. He continues to lead the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and could be seen for the final time in 2024.

Bowlers - Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar and Munaf Patel

Ravichandran Ashwin has emerged as one of the leading spinners in world cricket. (Pic: Getty)

The premier spinner in the game was Ravichandran Ashwin, who has emerged as one of the top spinners in world cricket. Ashwin's stellar Test record puts him very high on the pedestal among the spinning greats of modern times.

While Ashwin has been in and out of the Indian white-ball side, he has gained legendary status in the red-ball format. He has bagged 490 wickets in 95 Tests at an exceptional average of 23.69.

Praveen Kumar was one of the finest swing bowlers of his time, but his career went on a downward slide with the emergence of bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. His last international match came against South Africa in 2012.

In a recent interview, Praveen claimed that there was a senior player in the Indian dressing room who tarnished his image by spreading misinformation regarding his alcohol consumption. Praveen added that he wanted to be involved in cricket in some capacity but never got any work calls, even from his state, Uttar Pradesh.

Vinay Kumar could never cement his place on the national team. In the sporadic opportunities he got, Vinay failed to be the wicket-taking option India needed at that stage. Vinay announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in February 2021 and went on to join Parthiv Patel as one of the MI talent scouts.

Munaf Patel was part of the Indian World Cup-winning squad in 2011. Having risen through the ranks as one of the fastest bowlers going around, Munaf's career was halted by injuries, which forced him to cut down on his pace.

His final match for India came in 2011, while he continued playing first-class cricket for Baroda till 2016. Munaf currently plays for the India Capitals in the Legends League Cricket.