Four cricketers from India's 2011 World Cup winning squad who joined politics

Out of the 15, four Indian cricketers from 2011 World Cup winning squad have entered politics.

The moment when India won the 2011 World Cup is still one of the best moments that can be captured in Indian cricket history. That was only the second time that India lifted the biggest trophy in the game. That squad was probably the best in history. Apart from a couple of players, most of the cricketers from that squad have retired and become commentators, coaches, or cricket analysts.

However, there are a few who have certainly chosen a rather different career and joined politics. Well, it is not new for a cricketer to become a politician after retirement because the fan following a cricketer has is always huge. Here, we will talk about four Indian cricketers from the 2011 World Cup-winning squad who have joined politics.

Here are the Four members of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad who joined politics

1. Gautam Gambhir:

Former Indian captain Gautam Gambhir certainly played a massive role in India’s winning the 2011 World Cup. His gritty innings of 97 in the final helped India overcome the early wickets. Gambhir had a rather successful career, and his contribution, even in the 2007 T20 World Cup, was immense. However, after his retirement, the southpaw joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 22, 2019 and was pretty active. He won the elections for East Delhi in the 2019 Indian general election. However, recently, he asked the party to relieve him off his political duties so that he can focus on his cricket commitments.

2. S Sreesanth:

Former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth was also part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad. However, apart from the first match against Bangladesh and then the final against Sri Lanka, he didn’t take part in any other games. Sreesanth was also part of the 2007 T20 World Cup-winning squad.

However, his career took a controversial turn when he was found guilty of match-fixing in the IPL. Well, Sreesanth is one of those few players who has seen everything in life, from match-fixing to making a TV appearance in Big Boss and many other things. He also tried his hand in politics. Sreesanth joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March 2016 and contested the elections for the Kerala Assembly. However, he lost that election.

3. Harbhajan Singh:

Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was a key part of the Indian squad that won the 2011 World Cup. Bhajji took nine wickets in that tournament at an economy rate of 4.48. He retired from international cricket in 2016 and played in the IPL. However, in 2021, he took retirement from the IPL retirement as well.

After retirement, he was seen doing commentary, and in March 2022, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Harbhajan Singh was nominated as Member of Parliament (MP) for the upper house, Rajya Sabha, by AAP after the party formed government in Punjab.

4. Yusuf Pathan:

Former all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has become the latest Indian cricketer from the 2011 World Cup to join politics from that batch. Yusuf was active in playing domestic cricket, or IPL, until he announced his retirement in February 2021. He is all set to contest the Lok Sabha polls for the West Bengal’s Berhampore constituency. Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee gave this update. With this, he has become the latest player from India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad to take his career to politics.

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