Lalit Modi’s recent statement given during a podcast has gone viral. He told that before the start of T20 World Cup 2007, he had gone to the dressing room of the Indian team and appealed to the senior players to participate in the tournament. However, the players did not take this format seriously and refused to play. Today the situation is such that the popularity of T20 cricket seems to be overshadowing even Test and ODI cricket.
Before the T20 World Cup 2007, the Indian team was on a tour of England, where it had to play a series of three Tests and seven ODIs. Immediately after this tour which ran from 19 July to 8 September, the T20 World Cup was to be organized in South Africa from 11 September. Experienced players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were part of the team on the England tour, but many young players got a chance in the team selected for the T20 World Cup. This team, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, included players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan.
In an interview to ANI, Lalit Modi said, “When the Indian team was on the England tour in 2007, I met every player in the dressing room. I appealed to them to play T20. They said, ‘Lalit, are you kidding? What kind of game is this? We don’t want to play it.’ This was the reaction of almost all the players. He said that the tour has been very long and he wants to spend time with his family.”
He further said, “If any player does not play the World Cup today, a big controversy will arise. Fans, players and administrators will not accept it.” According to Lalit Modi, BCCI did not send its most experienced team in the 2007 T20 World Cup. The board expressed confidence in the young players under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and gave a chance to a new team.
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He said, “BCCI did not send its main team to South Africa for the T20 World Cup at that time. The board prepared a new team and handed over its command to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It was a completely new and young team. Veteran players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly did not participate in that tournament.”
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Raising the question, Modi said, “Will anyone accept such a decision in today’s times? If the Indian team goes to a World Cup and another team is sent in place of key players, will the fans accept it? Will the board take such a decision? Probably not.”