Former India pacer Yograj Singh, father of legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, has once again sparked debate with his outspoken comments, this time targeting Virat Kohli. Known for his candid views on Indian cricket, the 67-year-old has previously criticised MS Dhoni for his treatment of Yuvraj during his tenure as captain. Now, Yograj has claimed that Kohli was “never a friend” to his son and even went as far as calling both Kohli and Dhoni “backstabbers.”

Yuvraj, one of India’s greatest match-winners, represented the country in 402 international matches between 2000 and 2017. He scored 11,178 runs at an average of 35.05, smashing 17 centuries and 71 fifties, while also picking up 148 wickets. Yograj believes his son’s talent intimidated senior players, leading to internal politics.

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“As I’ve said, there are no friends when success, money, and glory are involved. There were always backstabbers who wanted to put him down. They were scared of Yuvraj Singh because they thought he might take their chair. He was a God-gifted player, the greatest, and they feared him—right from MS Dhoni to others,” Yograj Singh told InsideSport.

Interestingly, Yograj Singh named Sachin Tendulkar as the only genuine friend Yuvraj had in the dressing room, praising the Master Blaster’s humility and support. Yuvraj was a key figure in India’s historic wins at the 2002 Champions Trophy, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2011 ODI World Cup, where he was named Player of the Tournament.

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Ironically, his peak years came under Dhoni’s captaincy, while he earned a recall in 2017 under Kohli’s leadership. Yuvraj played his final international match against the West Indies on June 30, 2017, in Antigua and officially retired from all forms of cricket on June 10, 2019.