'Used to spend time together, then he became captain..': Former Indian player opens up on equation with Dhoni
Former India fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh revealed his equation with his former captain and friend MS Dhoni. RP Singh, who was part of India's 2007 T20 World Cup-winning team, played most of the international career under Dhoni's leadership.
RP didn't live up to the acceptations after the successful World T20 campaign in 2007. Despite his ability to swing the ball, he failed to make big in the international circuit, though he performed well in domestic cricket.
During a conversation with former cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra, the southpaw shared his equation with Dhoni.
“We used to spend time together, then he became captain and his graph kept going up and mine down. But our friendship is intact and we still talk and roam around together. In cricketing matters we have different opinions,” said RP Singh.
The former pacer was the highest wicket-taker in the second edition of Indian Premier League as he was one of the solid pillars of Deccan Chargers title-winning campaign.
“I was at the top, performance-wise but neither could I save my place in Tests or ODIs. I played IPL and I guess I was one of the highest wicket-taker in 3 or 4 seasons but didn’t get to play matches may because the captain did not have trust in me or may be my performance had really downgraded.
“The selectors never gave me that answer even after I asked and they just told me ‘keep working hard your time will come’ “, he said.
On September 5, 2018, RP Singh announced retirement from all forms of cricket. He represented India in 14 Tests, 58 ODIs and 10 T20Is.
