Distancing himself from Yograj Singh's angry outbursts against Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kapil Dev, World Cup-winning former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has said that the controversial remarks of his father were "not okay" and he "sincerely apologises" for them.
In a podcast interview with 'Sports Tak', Yuvraj addressed the contentious issue of his father blaming Dhoni for his ouster from the national team besides claiming to have abused Kapil on selection issues in the past.
"I would like to apologise to Kapil and M S Dhoni about the comments because Kapil paaji has been a great player for India. What kind of relationship they (Yograj and Kapil) had, I don't know, I wasn't even born," Yuvraj said.
"And I have played with Ms Dhoni and had expectations about my relationship with him. But what dad said about him, I have told him that it's not okay.
"I told him 'it's not okay because things reflect on me. I have played with him, I would appreciate you not saying these things about him'," the big-hitting all-rounder, who was the hero of India's 2011 World Cup triumph, said.
Yuvraj said both Kapil and Dhoni are well aware that the comments of his father are in no way a reflection of his own thoughts.
"Whatever the reasons, you know what they are. But I would sincerely like to apologise to both of them for the words but they also know that the words are not mine. As cricketers, I have huge respect for them for what they have done for the country," he said.
Kapil was captain North Zone, and Haryana when Yograj said he dropped him "for no reason" which led to him abusing Kapil at his home before quitting cricket altogether.
Yograj accused Kapil of sabotaging his career and even revealed that he once showed up at Kapil’s house with a pistol to confront him.
"When Kapil Dev became captain of India, North Zone, and Haryana, he dropped me for no reason. My wife (Yuvi's mother) wanted me to ask Kapil questions. I told her that I would teach this bloody man a lesson. I took my pistol out and went to Kapil's house in Sector 9. He came out with his mother. I abused him a dozen times. I told him, because of you I have lost a friend, and for what you have done, you will pay for it. I told him, 'I want to put a bullet through your head, but I am not doing it because you have a very pious mother who is standing here.' I told Shabnam, 'Let's go.' That was the moment I decided I would not play cricket - Yuvi will play,” Yograj said on the YouTube channel 'Unfiltered by Samdish'.
In case of Dhoni, Yograj has maintained that the iconic skipper was the reason for Yuvraj's ouster from the team. After the World Cup triumph in 2011, Yuvraj battled cancer to come back to cricket before retiring in 2019 when he was not picked for the World Cup that year.
Yograj said Dhoni was responsible for "ruining" Yuvraj's career and that he would never forgive the Ranchi man for this.
"I talk about Bishan Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni. I can talk about people whom I have been with. They have treated people like shit. Jo galat hai woh galat hai. Two wrongs cannot make one right. I say this openly - our cricketers and the team were destroyed by our captain," he had also once said.
This change in heart could possibly stem from the fact that recently Sandeep Patil, the former BCCI chairman of selectors, cleared the air once and for all that the decision to drop Yuvraj from the Indian team wasn’t on Dhoni’s demand, but because the selectors felt he could no longer bring to table the traits that once made Yuvraj Singh an indispensable force in world cricket.