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"Some of the BCCI officials did not like that"- Yuvraj on what cost him India captaincy

Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh has revealed that supporting Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar during his tussle with then head coach Greg Chappell cost him India's captaincy.


Yuvraj was the vice-captain of India during the captaincy reign of Rahul Dravid.


Dravid resigned from leadership duties following the culmination of the 2007 England tour. In his place, MS Dhoni was appointed captain of the ODI team in addition to the T20I squad, which was leading in the inaugural T20 World in South Africa.


Yuvraj was four years senior to Dhoni in international cricket, and understandably, he was taken aback when the Ranchi cricketer was named captain for the inaugural edition.


Speaking to Sanjay Manjrekar on Sports18, Yuvraj claimed that his decision to support Sachin during his tussle with Chappell didn't go down with some BCCI officials. 


"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," 


Sachin and Chappell had differences over the former's batting position during the Australian's acrimonious tenure for the uninitiated. While Chappell wanted Sachin to bat in the middle-order, Tendulkar was reluctant.


Yuvi also mentioned that Sehwag was made Dhoni's deputy, although the swashbuckling opener had not been a part of the Indian squad for the England tour.


"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. 


However, the legendary southpaw insisted that he does not have any regrets as Dhoni did a brilliant job as captain.


"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 became the vice-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," signed off Yuvi.


Yuvraj played some of his best cricket under Dhoni. The stylish southpaw was central to India's title-winning campaigns in 2007 T20 WC and the 2011 50-over World Cup.


His six sixes against England and a whirlwind 30-ball 70 against Australia in the semi-final of the 2007 event, and all-around performance in 2011 have immortalised him amongst world cricket legends.


Yuvraj called time on his international career in July 2019.


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Wanted to play 100 Test matches: Yuvraj Singh opens up on his red-ball career ambitions

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been one of the finest white-ball players for the Indian team. After being a key performer in the 2007 T20 World Cup, he was named 'Player of the Series' in the 2011 ICC World Cup as well. The southpaw featured in 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is, scoring over 9000 runs and taking close to 140 wickets. However, he featured in only 40 Test matches during his career. In a recent interaction, the ex-Indian all-rounder felt he could not get enough chances in the Test format. The Chandigarh star reckoned that a player receives 10-15 games to showcase their talent in the present times. In comparison, the case was altogether different in his era, with the presence of titans such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman in the middle-order. "If you compare that era to today's era, you can see players getting 10-15 matches," Yuvraj said during an interview on 'Home of Heroes' on Sports18. "You look at that era, you could open like the way Viru started it. After that Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly, and Laxman. I got a hundred in Lahore and in the next Test I was told to open," he added. The multiple world title winner further admitted that he was diagnosed with cancer when he was gradually cementing his place in the Indian Test team after Ganguly's retirement. The retired cricketer also suggested that he wanted to appear in 100 Test matches for the country. "Eventually, when I got opportunities to play Test cricket after Dada's retirement, I got diagnosed with cancer," he said. "It has just been bad luck. I tried 24x7. I wanted to play 100 Test matches, face those fast bowlers, and bat for two days. I gave it everything, but it was not meant to be," the 40-year old added. The flamboyant batter's last appearance in the Test format was against England at Kolkata in 2012. In 40 appearances, he amassed 1900 runs, with three tons and 11 half-centuries, with the top score of 169 against Pakistan in 2007.