Sourav Ganguly's 2003 World cup finalist - Where are they now?

Indian fans would never forget the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. It was one of the most memorable campaigns for the cricket loving nation. The Men in blue came extremely close to winning the World Cup but Australia beat them in the final to win their second consecutive World Cup. Australia made it to the final after winning all their matches. On the other hand, India beat every team except Australia in their run to the showpiece encounter.

Sourav Ganguly won the toss in the final and elected to field, probably the one decision he will always regret. Zaheer Khan started with the expensive over and after that, there was no looking back for the team India. Ricky Ponting and Co thrashed the Indian bowlers all around the park. The Australian captain scored 140 runs including eight massive sixes. Damien Martyn who batted with the broken thump scored a classic 88 and Australia posted a humongous total of 359/2 in 50 overs.

India lost Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the very first over. The hopes of billion fans faded away after the tournament top scorer's dismissal. Apart from Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, no one could put a partnership and India lost their dream by 125 runs

Not sure how many of you can recollect the eleven players who have played that final. Let us revisit the playing 11 on that day and what are these players doing these days.

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#1. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag:

Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag

These are one of the deadly openers in the history of the game. Their exploits in the game against Pakistan are still fresh in the minds of everyone who saw it. Sachin Tendulkar ended the World Cup with whooping 673 runs in the competition and holds the record for the most runs scored by anyone in a single World Cup. He also won the player of the tournament for his fabulous form in the event. The little master is currently enjoying life outside cricket and is a mentor of Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He also owns few sports teams in various franchise leagues around the country

Virender Sehwag was India's top scorer in the World Cup finals. He tried his level best to chase the mammoth score but did find any support. Post this World Cup, he went on and scored heaps of runs for India including two triple centuries in Test cricket and a double century in the 50-over format. Sehwag retired from all forms of cricket in 2015. Since that, he has actively participated in various cricket activities such as doing commentary for international matches and mentoring IPL teams. The former Indian opener also runs an International school in Delhi.

#2. Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Kaif

Sourav Ganguly of India

One of the primary reasons why India went all the way went to finals was Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. He led the Indian team post the shock of the match-fixing saga and build his own team which was good enough to win anywhere. The only thing that he could not achieve in his career was a World Cup winner's medal. The Former Indian captain announced his retirement International cricket in 2008 and from domestic cricket in 2012. Currently, he is the president of the Bengal Cricket Association.

Mohammed Kaif came to limelight after India's epic chase against England in the 2002 Natwest series final at Lord's. He played a match-winning knock from an impossible situation. He is regarded as one of the best fielders, India has ever produced. He took four catches against Sri Lanka during that World Cup and in the process claimed the record for most catches in a single World Cup Match. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2018. He is currently participating in cricket shows and participating in politics.

#3. Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia

Yuvraj Singh of India drives the ball past Collins Obuya of Kenya

Yuvraj Singh made his debut in the Champions trophy in 2000. Just like Kaif, he also earned attention during the Natwest finals. After that, he went on to become one of the biggest match-winners for India and won his country numerous games. He played an important role in 2003 World Cup for the Men in Blue. However, Yuvraj is one of the prime reasons why India won the 2007 World WT20 and 2011 World cup. He won the player of the tournament in India's victorious campaign on home soil in 2011. The Left-hander is currently playing various domestic cricket matches. He was purchased by Mumbai Indians in the 2019 IPL auction and will participate in the event

Dinesh Mongia is the surprise name from the list. He has played over 50 ODI matches for India and scored more than 1000 runs. Due to his inconsistency, he was dropped from the team and did not earn a place back. He is not in the news in recent days and has taken up a few coaching roles for a school team in Chandigarh. He has also acted in a Bollywood movie.

#3 Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh

Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid is one of India's greatest ever batsman and scored 318 runs at an average of 63.60 in 2003 World Cup. He has played a crucial role in the middle order during the 2003 World cup. He has become one of the most prominent images in the history of Indian cricket. Dravid helped India win various matches, especially in overseas conditions. He has scored close to 25000 runs for India in all formats and announced his retirement from international cricket in 2012. At the moment, he is the head coach of India U19 and India 'A' team. In that capacity, he has helped produce some fine talents like Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw.

Harbhajan Singh is one of the most successful off-spinners ever in the game. He took 11 wickets during the 2003 World Cup. In his career, the Punjab Ranji captain took 786 International wickets across all formats. Bhajji last played for India in 2015. Former Indian bowler is currently playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL and doing commentary for International Cricket.

#5. Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra

Zaheer Khan of India appeals successfully for the wicket of Nathan Astle of New Zealand

Zaheer Khan took the most wickets for India in 2003 World Cup. He went on to become India's front line fast bowler for years to come. Zaheer was also the leading wicket-taker for India during the victorious 2011 World Cup. He took 593 wickets for India through the course of his career. The former Indian fast bowler announced his retirement in 2015. He has a fitness studio in Mumbai and was recently appointed as the director of cricket operations for Mumbai Indians.

Javagal Srinath was India's second highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets in the campaign. He is regarded as one of the best India fast bowlers India has ever produced. Srinath took 561 wickets in his International career. He retired from International cricket immediately after the 2003 World Cup. Since that time, he has made a name for himself as an ICC match referee.

Ashish Nehra came to spotlight when he took six wickets against England during the league phase of the tournament. He is the only Indian bowler to take a six-wicket haul twice in ODI cricket. Nehra announced his retirement from all forms cricket in 2017. During his farewell game, the Delhi District Cricket Association named an end of the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground as "Ashish Nehra end". Currently, he is working as bowling coach for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.