Former cricketer Yograj Singh has made a startling claim, accusing the BCCI selectors of “destroying” the careers of seven players following India’s historic 2011 ODI World Cup triumph.

Also read | South Africa win WTC title to end 27-year wait

India ended a 28-year-long wait for the coveted title with a memorable win over Sri Lanka in the final at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. However, Yograj believes though it was a defining moment in Indian cricket history, it also signalled the beginning of the end for several players.

Major transition

Interestingly, only three members of that 2011 squad — MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin — went on to feature in the next 50-over World Cup, highlighting the major transition that followed.

Yograj slammed the old selection committee for moving on to the next generation of players after the 2011 World Cup win. He said the move destroyed the careers of players which also includes his son Yuvraj Singh, current head coach Gautam Gambhir and former coach Rahul Dravid.

“You (BCCI selectors) just destroyed these boys for no reason.

Boys like Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Mohammed Kaif, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid. You just made them go after 2011. You just destroyed the team after the 2011 World Cup. The careers of 7 players were put into the gutter. That is why we’re struggling,” Yograj said.

Bid to remove Dhoni

The veteran cricketer recalled the 2012 episode involving a push to remove MS Dhoni as captain, following India’s consecutive Test series whitewashes in England and Australia. According to him, former selector Mohinder Amarnath was in favour of sacking Dhoni, a move backed unanimously by the rest of the selection committee.

Also read | I would’ve made Kohli captain, straightaway after Australia: Shastri

“We lost 5 series when MS Dhoni was the captain and he was told he would be replaced by Mohinder Amarnath, but that’s not the way to do it,” Yograj said.

The move, however, was ultimately blocked by then BCCI president N Srinivasan. “The Board president did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” Amarnath had told CNN-IBN.