“I went to the bathroom and cried a little” - Yuzvendra Chahal on the saddest phase of his career
Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has admitted that the period after he was dropped for the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE was the saddest phase of his career.
He said that while he was very angry, the fact that his wife Dhanashree Verma was with him helped him overcome the disappointment, but he conceded that he did cry a little.
In a shocking development, Chahal was not picked in the Indian squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup, with Varun Chakravarthy getting the nod. There was massive criticism in India over the decision to drop the seasoned spinner.
Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel, Chahal opened up on the tough phase.
“I don’t cry a lot, but I went to the bathroom and cried a little,” he said.
The 32-year-old added that his wife was with him as they quarantined in Dubai ahead of the second half of IPL 2021 and that helped him calm down.
Chahal elaborated:
“When I was not picked up for the 2021 T20 World Cup, I felt the saddest. I had to play IPL in Dubai at that time. She [wife] was with me that time. Next day, we had to catch a flight for Dubai. We had to go there to continue the IPL matches that were postponed due to Covid. We also had to quarantine for a week. Otherwise, you could have gone out to relax. Best thing was she was with me, so I could control my anger. If she would not have been there, I would have been more frustrated.”
On how he spent time during quarantine, Chahal revealed that working out and watching movies were good stress busters.
The leg-spinner stated:
“She [Chahal’s wife] was with me. We used to exercise together. We watched some chilled out movies. I was feeling strange because Virat [Kohli] was the captain [of the Indian team] and I was playing under Virat there as well [in IPL]. But I never ask anyone why I was not picked. Have never asked.”
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Chahal had a terrific IPL 2021 and ended up claiming 18 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 20.77.
“She told me to remove all my anger on the ground” - Chahal on wife’s advice
During the interaction, Chahal also revealed the advice that Dhanashree gave him, which motivate him to make an impact in the IPL, putting behind the personal disappointment.
“She made me realize that what’s happened has happened, but my team [RCB] needs me for the seven matches that are remaining. Just prove yourself. She told me to remove all my anger on the ground - in the sense that just go and perform. I realized she is right. Then, I took out my anger and frustration on the ground. But yeah, that was the saddest phase,” he said.
Chahal has played 72 ODIs and 75 T20Is for India, claiming 121 and 91 wickets, respectively.