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'I Went To the Bathroom and Cried..'- Yuzvendra Chahal Reveals Toughest Phase Of His Career

image-lk6fvf6uYuzvendra Chahal wasn't picked for 2021 T20 World Cup [Source: Twitter] 

Experienced Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has admitted that the period he spent on the sidelines during the T20 World Cup 2021 marked the lowest point in his career.

While acknowledging his disappointment and anger, Chahal also credited his wife, Dhanashree Verma, for being his pillar of strength and helping him overcome this difficult period. 

It was shocking when Yuzvendra Chahal was overlooked for India's T20 World Cup 2021 squad, with the selectors opting for Varun Chakravarthy, who had an outstanding breakthrough performance in the IPL 2021 season.  

Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube channel, Chahal said:

"I don’t cry a lot, but I went to the bathroom and cried a little. When I was not picked up for the 2021 T20 World Cup, I felt the saddest."

The 32-year-old further revealed that his wife stood by his side during their quarantine period in Dubai before the second half of IPL 2021, which played a big role in providing him with a sense of calm and overcoming that particular phase.

"I had to play IPL in Dubai at that time. She was with me that time. The next day, we had to catch a flight to 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. The best thing was she was with me, so I could control my anger. If she had not been there, I would have been more frustrated."

Having been a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore until the 2021 IPL season, Yuzvendra Chahal made a switch to Rajasthan Royals in 2022. 

However, despite being a regular face for RCB, Chahal revealed that, even though Virat Kohli was the captain of the Indian team and RCB during that period, he never sought an explanation from Kohli regarding his exclusion from the Indian squad. 

"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."

Notably, Chahal had an outstanding PL 2021 season, where he ended up picking 18 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 20.77. However, despite that he wasn’t considered for the India squad for the T20 World Cup 2021.