Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Sigh has made a startling claim stating that he was supposed to captain the Indian cricket team in the 2007 T20 World Cup and not MS Dhoni.

Dhoni had led India to a memorable triumph in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup with a thrilling win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the final in South Africa.

. It was a surprising decision from the BCCI to appoint Dhoni as captain as there were a number of senior players in the side.

One of the senior players was Yuvraj Singh, who was also India's vice-captain during the team's tour of England where Rahul Dravid was leading the team. The T20 World Cup was after the conclusion of the England series and Yuvraj was among the favourites to be appointed as the captain of the team after senior players like Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and Sourav Ganguly pulled out of the T20 World Cup 2007.

However, as it turned out, Dhoni was appointed as captain of the Indian team and it marked the start of an era of dominance for Team India as it went on to win several laurels under the former captain. Dhoni led India to three major ICC trophies along with several bilateral series wins across the globe. Yuvraj has now claimed it was he who was supposed to lead the Indian team at the T20 World Cup 2007 but his stand during the Greg Chappell incident cost him the captaincy. Chappell, who coached India from 2005 to 2007 had feuds with some of India's senior players including Ganguly and Sachin. Yuvraj claimed he always supported Sachin during the fiasco which didn't go down well with some BCCI officials, who decided against appointing him as captain of the Indian team. Yuvraj revealed he was also sacked as India's vice-captain after the incident. “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 said 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 (MS Dhoni) became captain for the 2007 T20 World Cup. I thought I was going to be the captain," he added. Yuvraj, who enjoyed a stellar career for India at the international level, never got the chance to lead the national team. He was part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning teams under Dhoni and played an instrumental role in both the triumphs. The all-rounder said he has no regrets about missing out on captaincy. “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," said Yuvraj.

Tags :Yuvraj SinghGreg ChappellMahendra Singh Dhoni