'Wanted to put a bullet through his head': Yograj Singh opens up about threatening Kapil Dev

Former India cricketer Yograj Singh revealed a shocking incident from his past, where in a fit of anger after being dropped from the team, he stormed to Kapil Dev's house with a pistol.

Yograj, who played one Test and six ODIs for India, has never hesitated to voice his opinions, frequently blaming MS Dhoni for his son Yuvraj's retirement and criticizing Kapil Dev on various occasions.

Recalling the incident, Yograj shared how, feeling betrayed by Kapil Dev's decision to drop him from the team, he went to Kapil's residence in Sector 9 with his wife.

“When Kapil Dev became captain of India, North Zone, and Haryana, he dropped me for no reason. My wife wanted me to ask Kapil questions. I told her that I would teach this bloody man a lesson. I took my pistol out, I 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 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,'" Yograj recounted on the Unfiltered by Samdish YouTube channel.

At that moment, Yograj decided to leave cricket behind and focus on his son Yuvraj's future. "I told Shabnam, ‘Let’s go.’ That was the moment I decided I would not play cricket, Yuvi will play," he added.

Yograj also made some strong statements about the late Bishan Singh Bedi, claiming that he was one of the key figures responsible for his exclusion from the Indian team.

“These guys, including Bishan Singh Bedi, they plotted against me. I never forgave Bishan Singh Bedi. The man died on his bed,” he said.

Yograj went on to share a conversation he had with selector Ravindra Chadha, who revealed that Bedi, as the chief selector, didn't want to pick Yograj due to his close association with Sunil Gavaskar and his cricketing ties in Mumbai.

"When I was dropped I spoke Ravindra Chadha, one of the selectors. He told me that Bishan Singh Bedi (the chief selector) didn’t want to pick me because they thought I was Sunil Gavaskar’s man and because I was playing cricket in Mumbai. I was very close to Gavaskar."

The 66-year-old also recounted an interesting incident after Yuvraj's crucial role in India's 2011 World Cup victory. He revealed that he sent Kapil a message along with a paper cutting stating that Yuvraj had outperformed Kapil in the World Cup.

"In 2011 when India won the World Cup, there was only one guy who was crying, and it was Kapil Dev. I did send him a paper cutting that my son did better than you in the World Cup. Kapil sent me a WhatsApp text saying we will be brothers in the next life. We will be born from the same mother in the next life. He wanted to meet me. But there is a vengeance, and it still hurts," Yograj shared.

Yograj Singh, who has never been shy to make bold statements, has often targeted former Indian captain MS Dhoni, particularly over his son Yuvraj Singh's retirement from cricket.

Yograj has publicly claimed that MS Dhoni's decision to drop Yuvraj from the national team led to his premature retirement. In interviews, he expressed strong discontent with how Yuvraj's career was handled by Dhoni, stating that Dhoni's attitude towards his son had a significant negative impact on his cricketing journey.

Yograj further stated that he believed Dhoni's leadership style contributed to Yuvraj’s struggle for a spot in the national team, despite Yuvraj's achievements in the past. His bitter feelings towards Dhoni have remained evident in his public remarks, as he has repeatedly blamed the former wicketkeeper-batsman for his son's limited opportunities in the Indian team.