Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Yuzvendra Chahal revealed that he saw almost every player of the national team, including Virat Kohli, cry after the loss in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. India lost the rain-threatened match by 18 runs on the reserve day after failing to chase a 240-run target. Chahal recently opened up about the difference between Virat and Rohit Sharma when it comes to captaincy and shared untold stories from the Indian cricket team dressing room.
“I love how Rohit bhaiya carries himself on the ground. He’s a very good captain. With Virat bhaiya, it’s the energy he brings, the same energy every day. It will only go up and never down. Same energy. Every day,” Chahal said on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast.
When asked whether he has even seen Virat Kohli crying, he shared the story from 2019.
“2019 World Cup, I saw him crying in the bathroom,” Chahal said. “And then I was the last batter, when I was crossing him, he had tears in his eyes. In 2019, I saw everyone crying in the bathroom.”
Chahal also revealed that he regrets his own performance in the match as he ended up conceding 63 runs in 10 overs while taking just one wicket against New Zealand.
“It was Mahi bhai’s last match. I could have done better. I still regret that. I could have pushed myself a bit more, bowled a bit better, and leaked 10-15 fewer runs. But sometimes you are in that flow, it happens so quickly that you don’t get time to think. I thought if I was calmer I could have done even better. I gave my best but it was the semi-final, a bigger stage and you have to give your 10-15% extra,” he said.
Chahal also opened up on his relation with his ex-wife Dhanashree Verma, who is an actor-choreographer, in a recent podcast. Chahal and Dhanashree were granted divorce by the Mumbai family court in March this year, ending their five-year marriage. The duo tied the knot in December 2020 but as per their petition, they separated in June 2022. In February this year, the couple filed a joint petition before the family court seeking divorce by mutual consent.
Now, Chahal has revealed that he has not texted or talked to Dhanashree for a long time now. He added that after 2024 T20 World Cup, the couple was left with formal talks only.
“I had not seen her for a very long time, and then I saw her on a video call, where the lawyers spoke to us. That’s it, no message or anything after that. Before the divorce, we weren’t on talking terms for six to seven months. We would talk only if there was something very important; otherwise, nothing. It was like that for a while, but after the T20 World Cup, it started properly,” said Chahal.