Former Indian pacer Rudra Pratap Singh said he never got an answer from selectors or captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as to why he didn’t get selected in India’s T20 format when he was one of the best bowlers in the shortest form.
“I think I was one of the highest wicket-takers in the first three-four years of the T20 format,” RP Singh said in a chat with Aakash Chopra on his Youtube channel.
“It is a question why wasn’t selected to play more T20Is. It may be that the captain did not have enough belief in me, or may be my performance had really dipped. But I never got an answer on this from the selectors,” he added.
RP Singh and Dhoni were friends even before either of them started playing for India, but the fast bowler never got a satisfactory answer for his non-selection.
“My friendship with Dhoni had started before either of us had played for the country. We used to spend a lot of time together. After he became India captain, his graph kept going up and my graph went down,” he said.
“Our friendship is intact and we still talk and spend time together. In cricketing matters, we have different opinions. I have asked him as well what I could have done to play more for India. Dhoni told me maybe it was down to my bad luck,” he added.
After being the highest wicket-taker in the 2009 Indian Premier League, RP Singh made a comeback to the Indian team for the tour of England but it was short-lived. He had played 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20Is by this time, but that series in England was his last appearance in a blue shirt.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!