'Some of the BCCI officials did not like that' - Yuvraj Singh narrates how he missed Team India's captaincy

MS Dhoni’s appointment as India’s captain ahead of the 2007 T20 World Cup was indeed a surprising decision as there were many players in the side senior to the wicketkeeper-batter. One of them was Yuvraj Singh, who was India’s vice-captain under Rahul Dravid during the preceding tour of England. As Dravid alongside many other senior players pulled out of the tournament, Yuvraj seemed the frontrunner to take over the command.

However, the BCCI selectors went with Dhoni, which turned out to be a masterstroke as the Men in Blue lifted the gala title. Meanwhile, Yuvraj enjoyed a sensational run in the international arena but was never able to lead the team. Opening up about the same, the former all-rounder said supporting Sachin Tendulkar in the Greg Chappell episode cost him India’s captaincy.

I was supposed to be the captain: Yuvraj Singh

For the unversed, Chappell was India’s head coach from 2005 to 2007 and his tenure was marred with controversies. The former Australian captain had feuds with many senior players including Tendulkar. As per Yuvraj, he stood for his senior teammate and the same didn’t go down well with the BCCI officials. As a result, he was sacked as vice-captain and MS Dhoni was handed over the command.

“I was supposed to be the captain. Then the Greg Chappell incident happened. It had become Chappell or Sachin. I was probably the only player who supported…that I support my teammate. And there were a lot of people in the…Some of the BCCI officials did not like that. It was said that they should make anybody the captain but not myself. This is what I heard,” Yuvraj told Sanjay Manjrekar during an interview on Sports18.

“I am not sure how true it is. Suddenly from vice-captaincy I was removed. Sehwag was not there in the team. So, out of nowhere Mahi became captain for the 2007 T20 World Cup. I thought I was going to be the captain,” he added. Yuvraj further said he is not fussed about not leading India as MS Dhoni did the job with brilliance.

“Viru (Virender Sehwag) was senior but he was not on the England tour. I was the vice-captain of the ODI team while Rahul (Dravid) was the captain. So, I was supposed to be the captain. Obviously, it was a decision that went against me but I have no regrets about it. Today, if the same thing happens, I will still support my teammate.