Discarded Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up about his alcohol dependence after his divorce from Dhanshree Verma. Notably, his comments came in an interview with former Indian opener Aakash Chopra.
In the interview, Chahal revealed that his alcohol consumption increased following his divorce, a period when he was struggling emotionally. However, he realised that continuing down that path could jeopardise his cricket career, prompting him to make a change.
“Things got excessive after my divorce, and my mental state was not that great. I realised 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,” Chahal said during the podcast.
“After last year of county cricket… It (alcohol addiction) crossed all limits, so I checked into a rehab centre and stayed there for 26 days. Now, I know how to handle it,” Chahal added.
“That decision made a massive difference to my personal life. My maturity increased. My emotions are balanced now. Last IPL, my body felt like I was 30 years old again, [with me] doing gym work, fielding drills and training properly,” he said.
Further, Chahal also recalled a conversation with former South African cricketer AB de Villiers, who had advised him to maintain a healthy balance in life. While the advice seemed simple, the leg-spinner admitted that following it was much harder in reality.
“When you are a public figure, everything happening in your life becomes an invitation for people to comment. I felt bad, and there were a lot of difficulties,” he concluded.
