Class of 2007 & the joy of Sept 24

Remember the guy who parked himself under the skier at short fine leg to pouch the 'offering' from Misbah-ul-Haq in the coliseum called Bull Ring? Remember who induced THAT scoop from the Pakistan ice-man? Who ran Imran Nazir out when the batsman (33 in 14 balls) was going berserk? Who came out of the final with sublime figures of 4-0-26-3?
The answer to the first question is Sreesanth. He hasn't played for India in over a year despite being the best swing bowler around. Does he want to continue as a cricketer? Or is he keen on being an actor, singer, poet, cab driver, clown?
If you said Joginder Sharma to the second question, you're right. He hasn't played after the inaugural World T20 final. The last one heard of him was when he was involved in a serious road accident. Even that wasn't so serious.
Robin Uthappa was the third man. His career has been in free fall after Ajantha Mendis tormented him in the Asia Cup final in Karachi, in 2008. While he played two T20 internationals this season, he was last in the news for Pune Warriors buying him for $2.1 million in the 2011 IPL player auctions.
RP Singh completes the jig-saw puzzle. Back in 2007, every ball he bowled threatened the batsman. It's hard to believe the same man bowled five of the six delivery of his first over down the leg side at the Oval last year. Fished out of a holiday from the beaches in Miami, that's the best he could offer.
While most teams bow to the curse of Father Time (in this case five years) and experience a change in personnel, India's case is a bit different. While the core of the team remains unchanged (the captain and seven others are in the current World T20 team), they have experienced a not so pleasant change in fortunes.
Yes it was ironical that a team and the organization it played under (BCCI), that had resisted T20 like a plague, went on to win the biggest prize in the format, thanks to energetic fielding, incisive bowling (unusual for Indian standards) and surreal hitting from Yuvraj. The triumph paved the way for the phenomenon (or is it a curse?) called the Indian Premier League. Similarly, it is curious that the team whose players play in the most competitive and followed T20 league in the world, has struggled in the bikini format.
Their last two outings in 2009 (England) and 2010 (West Indies) were shambolic and the team, after progressing to the Super Eights, failed to win a single match. Tiredness was cited as a valid reason as both those tournaments came on the back of a gruelling IPL season. Of course, the inability of the younger crop to deal with the short-pitched delivery and infighting were also key issues.
This time though tiredness can't be held as an 'excuse'. The team had a good break after the IPL and the conditions in Sri Lanka won't be alien either.
THEN AND NOW
MS Dhoni (Captain):
Still going strong as captain. But poor tours of England and Australia have dwarfed his legend.
Gautam Gambhir (Vice Captain):
Form in Tests has dipped, but leading KKR to IPL glory has revived captaincy ambitions. Was a key member of the 2007 side.
Virender Sehwag:
Hasn't been at his best after his 219 against West Indies in the Indore ODI.
Rohit Sharma:
Was the next big thing in 2007. Has been a regular in ODIs, but consistency has been an unfaithful muse.
Irfan Pathan:
Was man of the match in the final. But has been in and out of the Indian team. Swing is back, but pace has dropped.
Yuvraj Singh:
His six sixes against Stuart Broad is the stuff of legend as is his man of the tournament performance in World Cup 2011, but after beating cancer, one has to see how he shapes up.
Harbhajan Singh:
Made a comeback in 2007 with the World T20 and relaunched his career. Hasn't played for India since July?
Piyush Chawla:
Why was he in the team then. Why he is in now?
Dinesh Karthik:
An honest trier, he pouched the catch of the 2007 World T20 to dismiss Graeme Smith at 2nd slip, but he hasn't translated his domestic and IPL form into international cricket.
Ajit Agarkar:
Didn't play in all the games. Since then, he has performed well for Mumbai, but his India days are behind him.
Yusuf Pathan:
Was hailed as an impact player. Despite scoring a brilliant hundred in South Africa in 2010-11, he has struggled. His stubborn approach to batting has proved to be his undoing.