Yograj Singh, father of former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, has once again stirred controversy with his outspoken remarks, this time taking aim at former Indian captain Kapil Dev. On Sunday, Yograj accused former captain MS Dhoni of having “destroyed” Yuvraj’s international career, claiming that his son could have continued representing India for another “4-5 years” if not for Dhoni’s influence.
In the same interview with Zee Switch, Yograj didn’t hold back against Kapil, too. The former World Cup-winning captain of 1983 has had a strained relationship with Yograj ever since the latter was dropped from the Indian team in 1981. Yograj has repeatedly alleged that Kapil played a pivotal role in his exclusion, viewing him as a potential rival.
Yograj’s animosity toward Kapil Dev isn’t new; back in 2017, he revealed that upon Yuvraj’s birth, he vowed to “avenge” the injustice he felt was done to him.
In his latest remarks, Yograj pointed out that Yuvraj secured 13 major trophies during his career, while Kapil has only a World Cup title to his name. This comment appeared to suggest that the “revenge” he sought was fulfilled through Yuvraj’s accomplishments, although it was accompanied by a derogatory remark aimed at Kapil.
“The greatest captain of our time, Kapil Dev… I told him, I’ll leave you in a position where the world would curse you. Today, Yuvraj Singh has 13 trophies, and you have only one, the World Cup. End of discussion,” Yograj said.
This remark, coupled by Yograj’s aim at Dhoni where he stated he won’t “forgive” him, have drawn massive criticism of Yograj on social media platforms.
“I won’t forgive MS Dhoni. He should look at his face in the mirror. He is a very big cricketer, but what he has done against my son, everything is coming out now; it can never be forgiven in life. I have never done two things in life—first, I have never forgiven anybody who has done wrong for me, and second, I have never hugged them in my life, be it my family members or my kids,” Yograj had said.
This is how X reacted to the comments:
Yuvraj called time on his international career in 2019, and has since been mentoring young talents from his region. The former India all-rounder mentored Abhishek Sharma, the young Punjab batter who produced exceptional performances at the 2024 edition of the IPL, and eventually made his India debut during the T20Is against Zimbabwe in July.
