India's 2011 Test squad to the West Indies: Where are they now?

Murali Vijay
Murali Vijay couldn’t manage a 50+ score in the series.

Indian Team with the Trophy in 2011

2011 turned out to be a watershed year for the Indian team in ODIs, clinching the World Cup after 28 long years. The period following the high was one of the bleakest in Indian cricket’s history, with a complete annihilation against the English and Australian outfits in the season that followed. Before the humiliation, however, the team travelled to the Caribbean for three Tests and five ODIs, convincingly clinching all the three formats in the process.

With the Virat Kohli-led Indian team gearing up for the imminent Test series against the West Indies, we look at the squad that went to the islands five years ago.

Murali Vijay

A nine Test veteran before the start of the 2011 series, Murali Vijay had immense responsibility on his shoulders, especially with the absence of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top. The more experienced of the two openers, Vijay had retained his place courtesy a match-winning 139 against the Aussies the previous year. The series, however, turned out to be a poor outing for the Tamil Nadu-born batsman, who couldn’t manage a single 50+ score in three matches.

Vijay is back in the Caribbean with the Test team, now with 37 matches under his belt and a cemented opening slot to play in. He has evolved into an accumulator, quietly stacking up huge scores in the company of his more aggressive partner, Shikhar Dhawan. Now 32, Vijay has a perfect opportunity to correct his track record in the Caribbean.

Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund
Abhinav Mukund made his Test debut in the first match of the series.

Thrust into the national side after the unavailability of regular openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, Mukund opened the batting with Vijay in all three Tests. With Vijay battling a poor run of form, there was additional pressure on Mukund to justify his place in the squad, the series also being his debut one. He managed one fifty, and averaged less than 25 for the series.

He returned briefly for the tour of England that followed. Post the series, Mukund was out of the team for good and has not been able to force his way back in. Shikhar Dhawan’s sensational debut in 2013, and his subsequent success with Vijay closed the doors on other potential candidates for the opening spot, and Mukund has been one of them. He continues to open for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy.

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid was the top run-getter from either side in the series.

With an inexperienced opening pair at the top, the onus was on Rahul Dravid to anchor the innings at No.3. He made the most of it, topping the run charts with a century and a half-century to his credit. He carried his form into the England tour as well.

While others failed to put bat on ball, Dravid managed to score three hundreds against a red-hot English pace attack on India’s tour. Having had to open the batting on the English tour as well, Dravid compiled 461 runs for the Indian team.

Given his rich vein of form, it was disappointing to see Dravid struggle with his feet movement in the tour that followed Down Under. Acknowledging the dip in his performances, he retired from the game without any fuss. He now coaches the India A and U19 squads, and was recently appointed to the ICC Cricket Committee for a three-year term.

VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman
Laxman scored three fifties on the tour.

Team India’s crisis man, VVS Laxman bailed India out of many hapless situations with his silken strokeplay and classy technique over the years. With a lack of experience in the batting, Laxman was promoted up the order to Number 4 on the 2011 tour, a position that belonged to Sachin Tendulkar for years.

He scored three fifties and compiled a total of 243 runs from three Tests at an average just a shade under 50. In the return leg, he scored a magnificent unbeaten 176 at Kolkata. Fittingly or not, that happened to be his last Test ton. He retired after India’s tour of Australia. He’s currently part of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that recently elected Anil Kumble has Team India’s head coach.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli made his Test debut in the 2011 series.

Already an established player in the limited format, Kohli was given a chance to carry his form into whites on the tour of the West Indies in 2011. He made his debut in that series, returning with scores of 4 & 15 in the first match. Overall, he could gather only 76 runs from five innings, with a best of 30.

Five years hence, life has come a complete circle for an evolved Virat Kohli. Now a limited-overs star and Test captain of the national side, Kohli will be leading a young team on his second tour of the Caribbean. Apart from shattering ODI and T20 records in the last half a decade, Kohli has scored 11 centuries in Tests, with a high score of 169.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina scored 232 runs in three Tests.

Once an automatic choice in the limited overs format. Raina now finds him out of favour from all forms for the national side. Playing 98 ODIs before earning a Test cap for India, Raina looked destined for a bright future in the Test squad after a century on debut against Sri Lanka. Playing his third overseas Test series, he was the third highest run-scorer for India, scoring 232 runs in 6 innings in the 2011 series.

He last played a Test for India in January 2015, still unable to figure out his discomfort against the short ball in the longer format. A drop in form resulted in him being omitted from the ODI team last year. He was part of the World T20 squad earlier this year, and captained Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League in the months following that.

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni failed to contribute much with the bat.

Dhoni experienced the crests and troughs of world cricket in a single year in 2011. After captaining the side to a World Cup triumph, Dhoni and team had to endure a hapless period in Tests, failing to notch up a single win in England. Before that, he inspired the team to another series win, this time against the West Indies. Although he performed poorly with the bat, managing less than 100 runs on the tour, he notched another series win outside the subcontinent.

Dhoni continued to captain India in the longer format till the end of 2014, before retiring midway through the Australian tour to hand over the reins to Virat Kohli. He still captains the side in both ODIs and T20s

Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh last played a Test for India in 2015.

India’s most successful off-spinner, Harbhajan was one of the two spinners who played in the 2011 series. Sharing the responsibilities with Amit Mishra, “Bhajji” was expected to run through an inexperienced West Indian line-up with his turn and bounce. He performed decently, picking up 11 wickets from three matches at a strike-rate of 68.1

The first Indian to take a hat-trick in Tests, Harbhajan last played in the whites for India in 2015. He made sporadic appearances in the shorter format, but with Ravichandran Ashwin having established his foothold as the frontline spinner, the days seem numbered for Harbhajan as an international cricketer. As in the previous editions, he was part of the Mumbai Indians in this year’s IPL.

Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar made his Test debut along with Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund on the tour.

The Meerut-born medium-pacer, known for swinging the ball both ways, made his Test debut in the 2011 series, having been part of the limited overs side since 2007. Making his debut along with Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund, Kumar shone in his first match, picking up three wickets apiece in each innings.

His international journey met a roadblock post-2012, with a dip in form, injuries and disciplinary issues making a heady cocktail that kept him out of the national side. Recently, he handled the fast bowling responsibilities with Dhawal Kulkarni for the newly-formed Gujarat Lions in this edition of the IPL.

Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra returns to the Caribbean with the Test team this month.

It has been more than thirteen years since Amit Mishra first started playing for India, yet he’s still pursuing a consistent run in the national side. Part of the squad that toured the West Indies in 2011, the leg-spinner has managed to add just six more Test caps to his name. He got to play just one match in the series, picking up two wickets in each innings.

He made a comeback to the side after a period of four years in 2015, travelling with the Test team to Sri Lanka. With Harbhajan Singh no longer in the scheme of things, the experienced Mishra can turn a new leaf in his career if he manages to shine with the ball in the Caribbean.

Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma was in red-hot form against the West Indies in 2011.

India’s most experienced bowler in the current line-up, Ishant Sharma promised a lot ever since his devastating spell against Ricky Ponting in 2008. As Zaheer Khan faded away due to injuries, the onus of carrying the fast bowling mantle fell on Ishant. A veteran of 68 Tests, he has still not managed to convincingly spearhead the pace attack, although the odd magical spell surfaces sporadically.

He was India’s top bowler in the 2011 series, picking up 22 wickets from the three Tests, the most from either side, with two five-wicket hauls to his name. Now 27 and returning to the Caribbean for his second tour, Ishant’s performance with the new ball will be crucial in setting up the series for India.

Munaf Patel

Munaf Patel
Munaf Patel has failed to make a comeback to the Test team since the 2011 series.

Munaf was one of the silent heroes of the World Cup winning squad, chipping in with crucial breakthroughs without setting the stage on fire. Having drastically reduced his pace since bursting onto the domestic scene as one of India’s fastest bowlers, Patel evolved into a wicket-to-wicket bowler in the latter part of his international career, bowling to his strengths. Making a comeback into the Test team after two years in 2011, Munaf managed a solitary match before disappearing into the wilderness again.

It has been five years since Munaf last represented the Indian team, and the chances of making a comeback at 33 do not appear promising. He continues to play for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, last representing the side in the finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in January this year.

Abhimanyu Mithun

Abhimanyu Mithun
Abhimanyu Mithun played only one match on the 2011 tour.

The Bengaluru-born pacer was a late entrant to professional cricket, first playing with a proper ball after he had turned 17. He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010, but has managed to feature in just four Tests and five ODIs overall. He played only one match on the West Indies tour in 2011, picking up the wickets of Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the first innings of the second Test.

At 26, Mithun still has a long way to go in his career, although he last featured in the national side five years ago. He continues to play for Karnataka in the domestic circuit and represented them in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year. He was signed up by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for this year’s IPL, but did not get to play a match.

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Edited by Staff Editor