Former India chief selector Sandeep Patil has rejected long-standing claims that MS Dhoni influenced the selection committee to drop Yuvraj Singh from the national team. Speaking on the YouTube channel The Vicky Lalwani Show, Patil said Dhoni never asked selectors to drop Yuvraj during his tenure as chairman of selectors.
“Not once — not during selection meetings, not on tour, not during matches — did Mahendra Singh Dhoni say drop Yuvraj Singh. I am going on the record,” Patil said. Patil added that Dhoni maintained full trust in the selection committee and did not interfere in selection matters. “He had total confidence in the selection committee. He didn’t say anything,” he said.
The clarification comes after repeated allegations from Yograj Singh, who has often accused Dhoni of damaging his son’s international career. Yograj has also previously hinted at strained relations between Dhoni and Yuvraj during their time in the Indian team.
Patil suggested that Yograj’s criticism reflects a father’s emotions rather than what actually happened within the team setup. “A father feeling strongly about his son is not wrong. But the blame is being placed in the wrong place,” Patil said.
