Mumbai: Acute disappointment can break the strongest of men, the biggest of performers.
The 2019 ODI World Cup threw up one such moment. Team India, having dominated the marathon round-robin league which they topped with 7 wins, suffered a heartbreak in the semifinal.
Having restricted New Zealand to 239/8 in 50 overs, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team was bowled out for 221.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who played that match, recently revealed that he saw Virat Kohli and other teammates cry in bathrooms.
Kohli fell for just 1, as did openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, in the face of an inspired opening spell by Matt Henry.
The skipper was devastated, especially as MS Dhoni’s international career ended on a losing note.
“2019 World Cup, I saw him (Kohli) crying in the bathroom… I was the last batter, when I was crossing Virat, he had tears in his eyes. In 2019, I saw everyone crying in the bathroom,” Chahal revealed on the podcast ‘Figuring Out’ With Raj Shamani.
Shamani referred to the IPL 2025 final on June 3, when Kohli couldn’t control his tears in front of TV cameras after Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their maiden title.
Chahal, who had figures of 1/63 in 10 overs in that semifinal, said he could have done better.
“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% extra,” said Chahal, who is currently not part of the Indian team.
Speaking about the difference between Rohit and Kohli’s captaincy, Chahal said: “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.”