‘MS Dhoni never said to drop Yuvraj Singh’:Ex-selector opens up on controversies in Indian cricket including Kohli-Kumble rift

Sandeep Patil, former chief selector of the Indian cricket team, has made it absolutely clear that MS Dhoni had no role in Yuvraj Singh being dropped from the side. For long, it has been rumoured that it was Dhoni who wanted Yuvraj to be dropped from the Indian team, but all those claims have been put to rest. Patil opened up on several controversies in Indian cricket while speaking on a YouTube show. The former Indian cricketer served as the national selection committee chairman from 2012 to 2016. ‘MS Dhoni never said to drop Yuvraj Singh’ Patil revealed that Dhoni never said anything about dropping Yuvraj. “I don’t want to point a finger on Dhoni. During our four-year term, whenever I had the opportunity of sitting with Dhoni, not once, not during selection meetings, not on tour, not during matches, did he say please drop Yuvraj Singh. I am going on the record.” Patil added that it is not wrong for Yuvraj’s father, Yograj Singh, to be emotional for his son, but in this case, the accusations were misplaced. “A father feeling strongly about his son is not wrong. But the blame is being placed in the wrong place,” he said. When asked if Dhoni opposed Yuvraj being dropped from the team, Patil said, “Maybe he had total confidence in the selection committee. He didn’t say anything.” ‘Told Sachin that selectors were looking for a replacement’ Patil also mentioned his meeting with Sachin Tendulkar in 2012. After the drawn Nagpur Test against England, he and selector Rajinder Singh Hans met Sachin and asked him about his future plans. According to Patil, when Tendulkar was told that the selection committee was looking for future options, Sachin was surprised. However, Patil clarified that the selectors never asked Sachin to retire. “I told him the committee was looking for a replacement. He was shocked. He called me again — are you serious? I said yes,” he revealed his conversation with the Master Blaster. Patil said that later Sachin himself announced his retirement and informed him about it over the phone. ‘Gautam Gambhir hasn’t spoken to me since’ Sandeep also spoke about his relationship with Gautam Gambhir. According to Patil, Gambhir has not spoken to him since being dropped from the team. Despite sitting together in many TV programs, Gambhir does not even make eye contact with him. Sharing that once Gambhir was very close to him, Patil said, “We have sat on the same television shows — News18, ABP — Gauti is there, I am there. He has never once looked at me. Not a glance. Every time I say hello, there is no response.” Patil said that changes were necessary in the team at that time and during that period, players like Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane got an opportunity. On Kohli-Kumble dispute, said – handling senior players is a different challenge On the dispute between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble, Patil said that it is possible both made some mistakes. According to him, handling senior players is a different challenge, and if not handled correctly, the dressing room atmosphere can be affected. “Whose fault was it? Both, perhaps. But where Anil Kumble went wrong is what I also tried to do when I was coach — trying to take control, rather than understanding the players and the system,” he said.