Sandeep Patil speaks out| Gambhir hasn't spoken to me since being dropped, Sachin was shocked when asked about his 'plans'

The ex chief selector revealed that while players V V S Laxman and Sourav Ganguly accepted their exclusions, Gambhir never came to terms with it.

Former Indian chief selector Sandeep Patil has revealed that Gautam Gambhir has not spoken to him since being dropped from the national team while also saying that batting great Sachin Tendulkar was shocked when he was asked about his 'plans'

Gambhir, the current Indian head coach played his last international match in November 2016.

"Gambhir is still upset. He has never spoken to me. We've come together on so many different shows. We’ve sat in the same room, but Gautam has never even looked at me. It’s fine. Every time I reached out to him or said a ‘Hi’, he has never responded. Not even a glance. But that’s fair enough,” Patil said while speaking on the Vickey Lalwani show.

Patil was appointed the chairman of selectors in September 2012 and Gambhir was first dropped from the team a year later.

Patil, a member of India's historic 1983 World Cup-winning squad added that while players V V S Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly accepted their exclusions quietly and moved on, Gambhir never came to terms with it.

“He doesn’t forget and he doesn’t forgive. That’s fine. I still respect him. I still like him," Patil added.

On Sachin

About Sachin Tendulkar, Patil said that the selectors had a direct word with the batting great.

“When we sat down with him, I asked one question: ‘What are your plans?’ He replied, ‘Why?’ I told him the committee was looking for a replacement. He was shocked. Later he called me again and asked, ‘Are you serious?’ I said yes.”

Patil also made it clear that the selection panel never formally dropped Tendulkar or asked him to retire.

“Selectors can drop a player. Selectors can't tell a player his career is over. We asked his plans. He said he wanted to continue. We said okay.”

On Dhoni & Yuvraj

The 69-year-old also added that M S Dhoni had no role in dropping senior players like Yuvraj from the team.

“Not once — not during selection meetings, not on tour, not during matches — did Mahendra Singh Dhoni say drop Yuvraj Singh. I am going on the record.