'BCCI selectors wanted MS Dhoni sacked. Careers of 7 players were destroyed after 2011 WC': Yograj Singh's bombshell
Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh, father of the legendary Yuvraj Singh, on Sunday made an explosive claim, where he alleged that the BCCI selection committee "destroyed" the careers of seven cricketers after the 2011 ODI World Cup win, and later even tried to get rid of captain MS Dhoni.
The 2011 ODI World Cup win had ended India's 28-year wait for the coveted trophy, with the home team having defeated Sri Lanka in the final at the Wankhede Stadium. But the tournament also marked the end of an era in Indian cricket as only three players - Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin and Dhoni himself - went on to play the following 50-over World Cup in 2015.
Speaking to InsideSport, Yograj lashed out at the then selection committee for quickly moving on from the 2011 World Cup-winning team, saying that the decision "destroyed" their careers. This included the likes of present India head coach Gautam Gambhir, his predecessor Rahul Dravid, and Yuvraj.
"You (BCCI selectors) just destroyed these boys for no reason. Boys like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Kaif, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid. You just made them go after 2011. You just destroyed the team after the 2011 World Cup. The careers of 7 players were put into the gutter. That is why were are struggling," Yograj said.
The veteran cricketer also brought up the run of events from 2012, which led to the former selector Mohinder Amarnath wanting to sack Dhoni, following a unanimous call from the remaining committee members after the two whitewashes in England and Australia.
"We lost 5 series when MS Dhoni was the captain and he was told he would be replaced by Mohinder Amarnath, but that's not the way to do it," Yograj said.
However, the decision was overturned by then BCCI president N Srinivasan. "The Board President did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni," Amarnath had told CNN-IBN.
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