'Saw him crying in the bathroom': Yuzvendra Chahal lifts lid on Virat Kohli's emotional breakdown after 2019 World Cup heartbreak

Veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal of the Indian cricket team disclosed that he witnessed nearly every player, including Virat Kohli, in tears following the defeat in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. India lost the match, which was affected by rain, by 18 runs on the reserve day after they were unable to pursue a target of 240 runs. Chahal recently discussed the contrasts between Virat and Rohit Sharma regarding their captaincy styles and revealed some untold stories from the dressing room of the Indian cricket team.

“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 inquired if he has ever witnessed Virat Kohli in tears, he recounted an incident 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 expressed his regret over his performance in the match, having conceded 63 runs in 10 overs while managing to take only 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 recently discussed his relationship with his ex-wife Dhanashree Verma, an actor and choreographer, during a podcast. The Mumbai family court finalized their divorce in March of this year, bringing an end to their five-year marriage. They were married in December 2020, but according to their petition, they had separated by June 2022. Earlier this year, in February, the couple submitted a joint petition to the family court to seek a divorce by mutual consent.

Chahal has now disclosed that he has not communicated with Dhanashree through text or conversation for quite some time. He mentioned that following the 2024 T20 World Cup, their interactions were limited to formal discussions 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.

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