India’s playing XI from Rohit Sharma's debut match - Where are they now?

Current Team India captain Rohit Sharma will complete 15 years in international cricket today (June 23). On this day in 2007, he made his international debut in an ODI against Ireland in Belfast. India bowled first after winning the toss and cleaned up Ireland for 193. Rohit did not get a chance to bat as Sourav Ganguly (73*) and Gautam Gambhir (80*) guided India to a nine-wicket victory.

The right-handed batter soon established himself as a formidable component of the limited-overs setup. In recent years, he has also proved his mettle in the longer version of the game and is now the all-format skipper of the national team.

Rohit has so far featured in 45 Tests, 230 ODIs and 125 T20Is, scoring 15,733 international runs in total. He holds the record of having struck the most double hundreds in one-day cricket - three.

As Rohit completes 15 years in international cricket, we look at what the other 10 Indian players who were part of his debut game are up to now.

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Sourav Ganguly

Sachin Tendulkar (left) and Sourav Ganguly. Pic: Getty Images

As mentioned above, Sourav Ganguly scored an impressive 73 not out off 99 balls in the match against Ireland. He retired from international cricket in November 2008 after a stellar career during which he became one of India’s most successful captains. Ganguly is currently the president of the BCCI.

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Roger Whelan for four in Rohit’s debut match, the only Indian wicket to fall in the game. He continued to represent India until November 2013.

Tendulkar fulfilled his dream of winning the World Cup in 2011. He ended his career with 100 international hundreds. He is now a mentor with the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), which is led by Rohit.

Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir was adjudged the 'Player of the Match' in Rohit’s debut game for India, scoring an unbeaten 80 off 107 balls. He went on to star in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup win, top-scoring with 75 in the final. The southpaw also played a key role in the 2011 ODI World Cup final, scoring a well-compiled 97. He played his last match for India in November 2016 and announced his retirement in December 2018.

After hanging up his boots, he joined politics and is a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He is also IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) mentor.

Rahul Dravid

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid. Pic: Getty Images

Rahul Dravid was the captain of the Indian team when Rohit made his international debut in 2007. Dravid resigned as captain in September of the same year, a few months after India’s shocking first-round exit from the ODI World Cup in the West Indies.

He continued to play for India until January 2012. Post-retirement, he coached the India A and India U-19 teams and also served as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He is currently the head coach of the Rohit-led India team.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh did not have much to do in Rohit’s debut match for India. However, he was a key member of the team that lifted the 2007 T20 World Cup. Yuvraj was also the 'Player of the Tournament' when India won the ODI World Cup in 2011.

His world came crashing down when he was diagnosed with cancer, but Yuvraj fought hard to return to cricket even though he was not the same player again. Dropped from the team in 2017, he retired in 2019. He runs the NGO 'YouWeCan', which is dedicated to fighting cancer.

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik was the keeper-batter in Rohit’s debut international match. He could not establish his place in the team in any of the formats and was constantly in and out in the decade that followed.

Following a stellar season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022, he made a successful comeback to the Indian team after three years during the recent T20I series against South Africa on home soil.

Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images

Ajit Agarkar claimed one for 27 in the 2007 ODI against Ireland, cleaning up the recently retired William Porterfield. The former pacer was part of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup squad. He was dropped after the tournament and never recalled.

Agarkar led Mumbai to a Ranji Trophy triumph in the 2012-13 season and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2013. He was an assistant coach with the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) for the 2022 season.

RP Singh

Former left-arm pacer RP Singh had impressive figures of two for 36 in Rohit’s debut international match. He was one of India’s surprise heroes in the 2007 T20 World Cup, claiming 12 wickets in seven matches. However, Singh faded away soon after.

Having last played for India in 2011, he retired from the game in 2018. He recently appeared as an analyst on some cricket shows.

Piyush Chawla

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla claimed three for 29 in the match against Ireland played on this day 15 years ago. However, he failed to establish himself in the Indian team. He might not have had a successful international career, but Chawla was part of the squads that won the 2007 (T20) and 2011 (50 over) World Cups.

He last represented India in December 2012. He went unsold at the IPL 2022 auction and shifted focus to commentary.

S Sreesanth

Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth. Pic: Getty Images

Former India pacer S Sreesanth claimed three for 50 in Rohit’s debut game for India. However, he remained inconsistent throughout his career and was thus frequently in and out of the Indian team. His career hit a roadblock when he was banned for his alleged role in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal.

After serving a seven-year ban, he made a comeback to competitive cricket in 2021 by representing Kerala in domestic cricket. He announced his retirement from all forms of the game in March 2022.

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