Playing XI When R Ashwin Made His Test Debut: Where Are They Now?

Nesara V JagannathaMonday December 12, 2022

57 2 minutes read

It is not easy to pick wickets in this era of DRS and pitches that could support equally to the batters and the bowlers. However, despite all the odds and the difficult batters that he has come up against, R Ashwin has done a fantastic job for Team India. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner has, so far, collected 442 wickets and is second on the list of highest Test wicket-takers for Team India. Add to this the five centuries he has scored with the bat, Ashwin has truly been a legend for the nation. It was way back in November 2011 that Ashwin made his Test debut. It was in the series against West Indies. A lot has changed with respect to India since then. In this article, we take a look at the playing XI when R Ashwin made his Test debut for Team India and the current whereabouts of the players.

Openers: Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag

The Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag duo was a strong opening combination back then. They complemented each other very well. Sehwag, after a couple of years in the backroom staff of Punjab Kings, is currently a commentator. He also runs a cricket academy in Delhi.

Gambhir, though, currently dons a lot of roles. While he is an MP from Delhi, on the cricketing front, he is a popular commentator. He is also the mentor of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL.

Middle-Order: Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni (C&WK)

India had its famous middle order in the playing XI when R Ashwin made his Test debut for Team India. Interestingly, Rahul Dravid is the current Head Coach of Team India. Ashwin plays in Dravid’s team right now. Sachin Tendulkar is the mentor of Mumbai Indians and plays in the Road Safety World Series League. Apart from that, he is not much associated with the game. However, he often takes to his social media accounts to give his opinions on the happenings of the sport.

VVS Laxman is the Head of the National Cricket Academy and also coaches Team India when Rahul Dravid is on a break. He holds a vital role in Indian cricket right now. Yuvraj Singh retired from the game a few years ago. Apart from his Tweets and interviews, Yuvi is not very active. MS Dhoni retired from international cricket but plays for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

Bowlers: R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha and Umesh Yadav

R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha were the spinners in the playing XI when R Ashwin made his Test debut for Team India. Ashwin is still part of Team India. In his debut Test, Ashwin was the Player of the Match. Pragyan, the left-arm spinner, is a part of the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA) and is in administration now. He also does commentatory often.

Ishant Sharma was part of the Indian Team until recently. However, he was dropped and currently, the tall pacer is aiming for a return to the side. He is an active part of the domestic competitions for Delhi. Umesh Yadav also made his debut in this game. The Vidharba pacer is still a part of the Indian Team. He also played T20I cricket for the country recently.