Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi shared an interesting anecdote from before the 2007 T20 World Cup, which revealed an unheard-of fact about Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly.

Lalit Modi, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly

Lalit Modi 's recent statement during a podcast has gone viral. He revealed that before the start of the 2007 T20 World Cup, he visited the Indian team's dressing room and urged the senior players to participate in the tournament. However, the players did not take the format seriously and refused to play. Today, the situation is such that the popularity of T20 cricket seems to be overshadowing Test and ODI cricket .

Before the 2007 T20 World Cup, the Indian team toured England, playing three Tests and seven ODIs. The T20 World Cup was to be held in South Africa starting September 11th, immediately following this tour, which ran from July 19th to September 8th. Experienced players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly were part of the team on the England tour, but the T20 World Cup squad selected for the tournament included several young players. Captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the team included players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, RP Singh, and Irfan Pathan.

In an interview with ANI, Lalit Modi said, “When the Indian team was touring England in 2007, I met every player in the dressing room. I urged them to play T20. They said, 'Lalit, are you kidding? What kind of game is this? We don't want to play it.' Almost all the players responded the same way. They said the tour had been long and they wanted to spend time with their families.”

He further said, "If any player did not play in the World Cup today, it would create a huge controversy. Fans, players, and administrators, no one would accept it." According to Lalit Modi, the BCCI did not send its most experienced team to the 2007 T20 World Cup. The board placed its faith in young players and fielded a new team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

He said, "The BCCI did not send its main team to South Africa for the T20 World Cup at that time. The board formed a new team and handed over its leadership to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It was a completely new and young team. Legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly did not participate in that tournament."

Modi questioned, "Would anyone accept such a decision in today's times? If the Indian team goes to a World Cup and a different team is sent in place of the main players, would the fans accept it? Would the board take such a decision? Probably not."