Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal opened up on his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks in a recent conversation with Aakash Chopra. Chahal recently appeared in an episode of ‘Baith and Bol’, where he opened up on multiple
aspects, including his real life. The cricketer said that when you are a public figure, everything, including your personal lives becomes a subject for the audience.
Speaking about the same, he revealed how anxiety and depression affected him as well as his cricketing career. The Haryana-cricketer reflected on how it took a toll on everything, including his cricketing career, forcing him to take a break for a while. “When you have an open profile, things like these happen, but if it is private, only your close circle knows about it.”
“As a public figure, when it happened, it felt bad. It affected my cricket and ultimately I had to take a break for a while. That year, I only played two white-ball games and didn’t play T20s since I wasn’t in the right mindset. I didn’t want the team to pay the price if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.”
The untold story of Yuzvendra Chahal! 🗣️
In an exclusive episode of Baith and Bol, Yuzi opens up about his experience with anxiety in a candid conversation with Aakash Chopra.
#YuzvendraChahal #AakashChopra https://t.co/bwikfmCnYx
— CREX (@Crex_live) October 15, 2026
Yuzvendra Chahal opens up on MS Dhoni’s contribution in shaping up his career
Chahal, often called the forgotten spinner, also reflected on the role of MS Dhoni in shaping his career. Speaking to Chopra, the 36-year-old revealed Dhoni’s influence and recalled how the legendary wicketkeeper helped him understand situations. He also shared an incident from India’s 2018 tour of South Africa, where the former India skipper’s advice played a crucial role in his five-wicket haul.
“50% mera or Kuldeep ka kaam asaan hi hojaata tha, kyunki ek toh wo picche se dekh rahe ki wicket kaisa chl rha hai with experience, piche se bol rahe ki stump pe hi rakhna zyada krne ki zarurat nahi hai, waise hi out ho jaate the batters,” Chahal said.
Recalling his fifer, he said, “Jab maine centurion me 2018 me five wickets liya tha, tab JP Duminy batting kar rahe the toh unhone (Dhoni) bol diya tha ki yuzi stump pe hi rakhiyo, pace apne hisaab se change krta rahiyo, wo dusri teesri ball me sweep maarne maine ball dhire dala or wo lbw out ho gaye.”
“Toh unka bht yogdaan h wo on-field coach the hamare bowling,” he added.
