It has been close to six years since the Virat Kohli-led Indian team lost the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand and bowed out of the tournament in their bid to win the world title. With Kohli not winning a World Cup under his captaincy, the former Indian captain won the IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the first time in this year’s IPL. Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has now shared how he also saw Kohli crying in the bathroom after the 2019 World Cup loss. Chahal was replying to a question about having seen Kohli cry while talking about Kohli in tears after winning the IPL trophy.
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“In the 2019 World Cup, I saw him (Virat Kohli) crying in the bathroom. 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,” Chahal said in a YouTube show hosted by Raj Shamani.
The Indian team had lost the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand, a match in which weather played a part. With rain interrupting the match on the first day, the match resumed on the reserve day with the Kiwis resuming at 211 for 6 in 46.1 overs. New Zealand set a target of 240 runs on the reserve day, followed by the Indian team being bundled out for a total of 221 runs in 49.3 overs. It also turned out to be Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last ODI match, as the former Indian captain announced his international cricket retirement in 2020. Chahal, who took one wicket for 63 runs in that match, shared that he regrets his performance in the semifinal.
“It was Mahi bhai’s last match. 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 percent extra,” Chahal added.
The 35-year-old leg-spinner also shared his experience playing under different captains, including Rohit Sharma.
“I love how Rohit bhaiya carries himself on the ground. He’s a very good captain. With Virat bhaiya, it’s the energy he brings, the same energy every day. It will only go up and never down. Same energy. Every day,” said Chahal.
