India's T20 World Cup 2007 Winning Squad: Then and now (Source: AFP & X.com)When the T20 format was introduced, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initially strongly opposed it and the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, viewing it as a "slogathon" that could harm traditional 50-over cricket.Even the senior players pulled out, and as a result, a relatively young team was selected for the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa. Few expected much, as they were too inexperienced to win an ICC event.India’s inspirational journey to 2007 T20 World Cup titleBut as the tournament began, the team started springing up surprises. They defeated many strong teams with renowned players and reached the semi-finals. They defeated the invincible Aussies in the semi-final to set up a fiery final against the arch-rivals Pakistan.Thus, despite all the odds, today, exactly 19 years ago, India scripted history in 2007, becoming champions of the inaugural T20 World Cup under the astute leadership of MS Dhoni.19 years is a long time, and most of the Indian players from the inaugural T20 World Cup squad have retired and moved on to new careers.Today marks the 19th anniversary of India's historic victory at the inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup on September 24, 2007. This article sheds light on the Indian squad and where they stand today.India's T20 World Cup 2007 Winning SquadMS Dhoni (WK & C), Yuvraj Singh (VC), Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Joginder Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, S Sreesanth15) S. SreesanthSreesanth played a memorable and dramatic role in India's victorious 2007 ICC World Twenty20 campaign. His performance in the tournament is best remembered for a legendary semifinal spell and the title-winning catch in the final.After the tournament, he continued playing in the IPL, but his last professional game came in May 2013 as he was banned after his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.During his ban, S Sreesanth ventured into the entertainment industry, acting in several films in the South and also appearing on the Hindi reality show “Bigg Boss”.He returned to domestic cricket for Kerala in 2020 before officially retiring in 2022.14) RP SinghRP ‘Swing’ Singh was India's joint-leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets in 6 innings during their triumphant win.However, in 2009, he was dropped from the national side owing to inconsistent performances. He made a comeback in 2011, but could not sustain it for long. The Indian fast bowler eventually retired from all forms of cricket on September 4, 2018.Since his retirement, Singh is enjoying a career in cricket administration. In 2025, RP Singh joined the men's national team selection committee.13) Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan Singh was one of the few senior players in India’s World T20 2007 squad. Bhajji was also one of the best performers for his team. He brought crucial breakthroughs whenever the team was in trouble.In the following years, he became India’s prime spinner in all the formats and even won the 2011 World Cup. However, he soon fell out of the squad due to a lack of form.He made a comeback in 2015-16, but it was short-lived as India had other world-class spinners in the side too. He called it quits in December 2021. Since then, Bhajji has moved into media, cricket administration advocacy, and politics.Also read - Harbhajan Singh Joins BJP: List Of Indian Cricketers Who Turned PoliticiansHarbhajan also entered the entertainment industry briefly and appeared on a few reality shows.12) Irfan PathanThe left-arm medium pacer played a major role in India’s title-winning campaign, taking 10 wickets in the tournament and winning the Player of the Match award in the final. 19 years after the win, Pathan works as a cricket expert, television commentator, and digital content creator.11) Yusuf PathanYusuf Pathan, the big-hitting allrounder, who was part of the Indian teams that won the 2007 World T20 as well as the 2011 World Cup. Pathan was an integral part of India’s white-ball set-up, but announced his retirement on February 26, 2021.In 2026, the former Indian allrounder is serving as a Member of Parliament for the Baharampur constituency and was recently appointed as the national vice-president of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).10) Ajit AgarkarAjit Agarkar was also a member of India's victorious squad at the inaugural ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2007, playing two matches during the tournament. Since the tournament, his international career had gone downhill.He then served as a selector for Mumbai Cricket for a short tenure and as a commentator. On July 4, 2023, Agarkar was appointed the chairman of the BCCI senior men's selection committee.Also read: Ajit Agarkar's Biggest Controversies As BCCI Chief SelectorDuring his tenure, India reached the 2023 ODI World Cup final, won the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups, and won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.However, his three-year tenure is approaching an end. He is set to step down at the start of October.9) Joginder SharmaWhile his overall tournament statistics were relatively expensive, Joginder Sharma is best known for bowling the dramatic final over in the title clash, sealing India's win against Pakistan.Today, the medium pacer works as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) with the Haryana Police and stays active in public service after retiring from all forms of professional cricket in 2023.8) Piyush ChawlaChawla was one of the best emerging spinners in 2007. He was just 18 when he played in the World T20 2007 and did not get any games in the tournament.His fortunes then improved in the coming years. However, failed to leave a lasting impact. In 2025, he announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket.Since stepping away from top-flight and international cricket, he has played in competitive legends and franchise-based exhibition circuits, such as the Legends Pro T20 League and tournaments like the Lanka Premier League (LPL).He is also actively involved in cricket analysis, expert commentary, and media appearances.7) Robin UthappaThe Karnataka batter was also an important part of the World Cup win. Robin Uthappa was a middle-order batter who had the ability to adapt according to the situational demand. However, after the 2007 World T20, Uthappa had an inconsistent run with the bat.Eventually, on September 14, 2022, Robin Uthappa hung up his boots. This allowed him to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in overseas T20 leagues and spend time with his family.6) Rohit SharmaInterestingly, Rohit Sharma is also the only active player from India’s 2007 T20 World Cup squad. A 20-year-old youngster earned a place in the Indian T20 squad, on the back of some wonderful performances for the Mumbai domestic team.In the final against Pakistan, when India struggled to reach the 150-run mark, Rohit came in lower down the order and played a quickfire knock of 30 runs off just 16 balls.Considering his inexperience in international cricket, he was not included in the XI as consistently. But in the coming years, we are all aware of the wonders Rohit did.He then performed consistently and became an integral part of the Indian side in all the 3 formats.Later, he captained India to two ICC trophies: the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.However, Sharma retired from T20Is and Test cricket on June 29, 2024 and May 7, 2025, respectively.As of today, he is preparing for the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies starting September 27, 2026, with his sights set on the 2027 ODI World Cup participation.5) Virender SehwagSehwag scored 133 runs in 5 innings during India’s victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and played a key role as an aggressive opening batter.After retiring from international cricket in October 2015, Sehwag built a great reputation as a cricket commentator, expert analyst, and media personality.He is all set to take on a new role as the host of the reality show 'Rise & Fall'.4) Dinesh Karthik (WK)Dinesh Karthik was a part of the World T20 squad as the second keeper after MS Dhoni. Karthik could not make a major mark because he did not get many chances, but he was part of the Indian squad for several years.During the IPL 2024, Karthik received a guard of honour from his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammates after their elimination in IPL 2024 and announced his retirement a few days later.Just a month later, he was named RCB batting coach and mentor for the 2025 edition. The Tamil Nadu-born also went on to briefly play IPL-like overseas leagues and become the first Indian to play in SA20.Karthik also dedicated his valuable time to commentary around the world.3) Gautam GambhirThis southpaw was also instrumental in helping India win the title in 2007. Gambhir provided India with fluent starts with Virender Sehwag throughout the tournament.However, his most important innings was in the final where he played a gutsy knock of 75* to take India to a decent total.19 years later, Gambhir is currently serving as the head coach of the Indian men's national cricket team.Also read: List Of All Shameful Firsts That India Achieved Under Gautam Gambhir’s CoachingAppointed in July 2024 to succeed Rahul Dravid, he is managing the team through a transitional phase in Test cricket.2) Yuvraj Singh (VC)The left-handed batter played a historic role in India's victory at the inaugural tournament. On September 19, 2007, against England in Durban, Yuvraj smashed Stuart Broad for six consecutive sixes in a single over.During the same innings, he reached his half-century off just 12 balls, setting a world record that remains the fastest in T20 World Cup history.Since his retirement, Yuvraj has taken it upon himself to mentor and groom India’s next gen of aggressive batters. He has guided several prominent Indian cricketers like Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Rishabh Pant.Apart from that, he also manages his cancer-awareness non-profit, the YouWeCan Foundation.Moreover, recently, reports have emerged that the former Indian batter is set to join the Delhi Capitals as their batting coach ahead of the IPL 2027 season.1. MS Dhoni (C)At just 26, MS Dhoni took charge of an inexperienced squad without senior legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly. Under his calm leadership, the team overcame low expectations to make history.Thanks to his sharp tactical calls and astute leadership, India won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 on September 24, 2007, in South Africa, defeating Pakistan by 5 runs in the final.However, this was just the beginning for Dhoni. By the time he drew the curtain on his international career, he became the only captain in international cricket history to win all three major ICC white-ball trophies: the T20 World Cup (2007), the Cricket World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013).Years later, Dhoni now extensively focuses only on his IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings. Outside of cricket, he remains active with his business investments, promotional partnerships, and agricultural and technological interests.Also read - "The Last Dance": Yuzvendra Chahal Retirement Speculation Floods Internet
