Virat Kohli is the only active cricketer from the 2011 World Cup winning squad as Piyush Chawla retires

It's been 14 years since India last lifted the ODI World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium and a golden generation of Indian cricketers has officially bid adieu to the game.

With leg-spinner Piyush Chawla announcing his retirement from all forms of the game, Virat Kohli is now the only remaining active cricketer from that legendary 15-member squad.

Kohli was at the time just 22 years and was one of the youngest players in the team. A young top order batter, he played a crucial role India’s World Cup winning campaign under the leadership of MS Dhoni. He now stands as the lone bridge between that iconic night in Mumbai and the present era of Indian cricket.

The retirement of Piyush Chawla on social media brought the spotlight back on the 2011 squad. It was a team filled with some of the greatest names in Indian cricket history.

• MS Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020.
• Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to ODIs in 2012 and played his final Test in 2013.
• Gautam Gambhir played his last match in 2014 and retired in 2018.
• Yuvraj Singh battled cancer and retired in 2019 after brief comebacks.
• Virender Sehwag retired in 2015 after fading form.
• Zaheer Khan retired in 2015 following injury setbacks.
• Harbhajan Singh last played for India in 2016, retiring in 2021.
• Suresh Raina retired in 2020, minutes after Dhoni’s announcement.
• Ashish Nehra retired in 2017, ending his career with a farewell match.
• Munaf Patel stepped away in 2018 after disappearing from the scene post-2012.
• Yusuf Pathan made his last appearance in 2012 and retired later.
• Sreesanth, after serving a ban, returned briefly before retiring in 2022.
• Piyush Chawla, the final to exit, confirmed his retirement in 2025.

Kohli is now 36 years old and is one of the greatest cricketers to have played for India, India across formats, winning multiple ICC awards, and rewriting batting records. He too, plays only the ODI format after having retired from Test cricket last month and from T20I last year.

Yet, his presence today serves as a reminder of the passage of time since one of Indian cricket’s most treasured triumphs.