India’s star leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has revealed that he saw former India captain Virat Kohli and almost every other India player cry in the bathrooms after losing the 2019 World Cup semifinal to New Zealand in Manchester. Despite Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni’s half-centuries, India lost the semifinal on the reserve day by 18 runs, failing to chase down 240 after an excellent bowling performance.
“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."
Notably, that semifinal was also the last international match of former India captain and legend Dhoni. He was run out for 50 runs by a brilliant direct hit from Martin Guptill from the boundary line, and India eventually went on to lose the match.
Chahal still rues leaking runs in semifinal
“It was Mahi bhai’s last match," Chahal said ruefully. “… 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."
Chahal was the most expensive bowler in the Indian lineup. He got the prized wicket of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson but conceded 63 runs from his quota of 10 overs.
Chahal compares Rohit and Kohli’s captaincy styles
Chahal also spoke about the different captaincy styles of Rohit Sharma and Kohli. He appreciated Rohit for his calm and composed approach on the field, while highlighting Kohli’s unmatched energy and intensity.
“With Rohit bhaiya, it’s about how he manages things on the ground. With Virat bhaiya, it’s his energy — always high, never goes down,” he further added.
Under Rohit, Chahal was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024-winning squad. However, he did not feature in any of the matches on the Caribbean and the US soil.