The Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up about one of the toughest phases of his life after his divorce from Dhanashree Verma. Yuzvendra Chahal opened up about how the emotional toll took a toll on his body and his cricketing career as he battled anxiety and panic attacks.
The situation got so bad that the Punjab Kings star decided to take a break from the game. Chahal and Dhanashree parted ways in March 2025 after living separately for around 18 months. Amid this, Ravichandran Ashwin slams Gautam Gambhir’s think tank over Kuldeep Yadav’s snub.
During a conversation on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel, Yuzvendra Chahal admitted that public attention and constant comments about his personal life made things even harder. The leg-spinner explained how his personal struggles started affecting his cricket.
He barely played for Haryana during the 2024-25 domestic season, as he felt he was not mentally ready to give his best on the field, so he did not want his condition to affect the team's performance.
Chahal told Aakash Chopra: “When you have a public profile as a public figure, everything happening in your life becomes an invitation for people to comment. It felt bad, and it created a lot of difficulty. It affected my cricket as well. I played two white-ball matches that year and then didn't play T20s because my mindset wasn't right.
I was not performing at my full capacity, and I did not wish for the team to experience any negative consequences due to my presence. I spoke to Anirudh sir and requested a break, and he was very supportive. Eventually, I thought, "How long will I carry this weight?" Anxiety and panic attacks started happening in my life.”
Chahal opens up about his panic attacks
The spinner revealed that his panic attacks were so severe that his face would shrink, his lips would tighten, and his mouth would pull to one side. He sometimes found it difficult to speak. This was when he understood how seriously anxiety could affect his body.
Yuzvendra Chahal added, “I couldn't even speak; my lip would tighten and pull to one side so people could figure out something was wrong with me. That was the first time I realized how intense anxiety could be.”
However, Chahal eventually decided that he could not continue carrying the emotional burden forever. He realized that people on social media would continue to discuss his personal life, and he could not control their opinions. He decided to move forward and focus on rebuilding himself.
A major turning point came when Punjab Kings spent a massive ₹18 crore to sign Chahal at the 2025 IPL mega auction. The giant investment gave him another reason to get his career back on track. He felt that the franchise had shown great trust in him and he would rather not disappoint the team.
The senior leg-spinner further added, “In my first year with Punjab Kings, when they paid ₹18 Crores for me, I felt, "They trusted me with so much money; I can't let them down.” Amid this, "MS Dhoni made our job 50% easier": Yuzvendra Chahal reveals captain cool’s big contribution.
Yuzvendra Chahal reveals why he quit alcohol after divorce and AB de Villiers’ advice
Yuzvendra Chahal revealed that he decided to quit alcohol after things became difficult following his divorce. After his last county cricket season, he felt that the situation had gone too far and checked himself into a rehabilitation centre, where he stayed for 26 days.
The spinner further credited former South African captain AB de Villiers for helping him understand the importance of balance in life. The advice made him think seriously about his choices when his personal struggles started affecting his career.
Chahal signed off by saying, “AB de Villiers once told me, 'Balance is key in life.' When things got excessive after my divorce, I realized that if I continued down that path, I would ruin the very thing I love most—cricket. So, I put an end to it, and now I am in a much happier and better space.”
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