“Suicidal thoughts aate the mere mind me” - Yuvzvendra Chahal bravely opens up about divorce
India’s one of the prominent spinners in cricket, Yuzvendra Chahal, didn’t hesitate to open up on some of the most sensitive topics of his life, which many people often avoid talking about. He touched upon his traumatic divorce, the impact of social media, life after divorce, and many other things in his recent podcast with Raj Shamani. Yuvzvendra Chahal revealed that after his divorce, rumours began circulating that “he is a cheater”. It made him deeply hurt as he never cheated in his entire life and considers himself one of the most loyal people someone could have.
“Mere divorce ke pass ye rumour pass kiya gya ki he is a cheater aur maine kabhi zindagi me cheat kia hi nahi hai. I am not that as a person. Aur mere jaisa loyal insaan to milega bhi nahi. Apno ke lie to main dil se sochta hun hamesha. Maine kabhi manga nahi hai, hamesha dia hai. Tumhe pata hi nahi hai kya chal raha hai bas tum blame kie jaa rahe ho.” Chahal opened up.
“Right after my divorce, a rumor was spread that I am a cheater, and I have never cheated in my life. I’m just not that kind of person. In fact, someone as loyal as me is hard to find. I always think from the heart when it comes to my loved ones. I’ve never asked for anything — I’ve always given. And the worst part is, you don’t even know what’s really going on, yet you’re the one being blamed.
“I have two sisters. Mujhe pata hai ladkion ki kaise respect karni hai. Mere gharvaalo ne ye cheez sikhayi hai. Zaroori nahi hai ki aap kisi ke sath dikh rahe ho to aap kuch bhi likh do views ke lie. Par aap ek baar react karroge na to aise dus log aur aate hain. Problem ye hai social media ki. Mujhe pata hai mere closed ones to pata hai, maine kabhi zindagi me galat kaam kia hi nahi hai. Jab unko farak nahi puch rahe hain, to baaki mujhe karna hi kya hai.” Chahal added.
“I have two sisters. I know how to respect women — that’s something my family has taught me. Just because you see someone with someone else doesn’t mean you can write anything you want for views. But the moment you react once, ten more people will jump in — that’s the problem with social media. I know my close ones understand me, and I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. If they’re not questioning me, then why should I care about what others think?”
Yuzvendra Chahal opens up on battling with anxiety attacks
Yuzvendra Chahal shed light on the intense emotional turmoil he experienced following his divorce. Chahal revealed that he went through a period of severe depression that lasted nearly four to five months. He also admitted that he experienced suicidal thoughts during this phase.
“4-5 maheene I was in depression. I got anxiety attacks. Main social media par nahi daala sympathy ke lie. Mujhe thi problem. Suicidal thoughts aate the mere mind me. Itne saari cheezein dekh ke, mera mind kaam karna hi band kardia tha. Mere strong point mera mind hi hai. Vo bilkul numb hogya tha.” Chahal said on Podcast with Raj Shamani
“For 4–5 months, I was in depression. I had anxiety attacks. I didn’t post anything on social media for sympathy. I was genuinely struggling. I used to get suicidal thoughts. After seeing so much happening around me, my mind just stopped functioning. My strongest point has always been my mind — and it had gone completely numb.”
He spoke about facing anxiety attacks during this phase and also shed light on what led to his anxiety attacks, diving deeper into the root cause of it.
“Maine cricket se break lelia tha. Mujhe apne lie time chahiye tha. Us waqt thoughts aate ki sab kuch honne ke baad fir bhi happiness nahi hai. Tab thought aata tha ki kya karein is life ka just leave it. Sometimes, you don't want to share with your family. But meri family ne is duration me kaafi help ki.”
“I had taken a break from cricket. I needed time for myself. During that period, thoughts would come to me like — even after having everything, there’s still no happiness. That’s when I would think, what’s the point of this life, just leave it. Sometimes, you don’t want to share such things with your family. But during this time, my family really supported me a lot.”
Chahal also elaborated on what went through in his mind and body during those anxiety attacks.
“Mujhe jab anxiety hoti hai, " I starts shivering. Kai baar mera face shrink hojata tha. AC chal raha hai ya AC nahi chal raha, hath thande rehte the. Us time samajh nahi aata ki kya karna hai, kya nahi karna. Dar bhi lagta ki kisiko batae ya na batae.”
“When I get anxiety, I start shivering. Many times, my face would shrink up. Whether the AC was on or not, my hands would remain cold. In those moments, I didn’t know what to do or what not to do. I was also scared about whether I should tell someone or not.”
Notably, Chahal and Dhanashree Verma were living separately since July 2022, though they filed for divorce three years later. The Bandra Family Court officially granted divorce on 20th March 2025.
