‘Unke saamne meri bolti bandh ho jaati hai’ – Yuzvendra Chahal opens up on his bond with MS Dhoni

Yuzvendra Chahal and MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)

India veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal expressed that he often remains silent around former skipper MS Dhoni. It is no secret that Chahal relishes his time on and off the field and is known for his hilarious antics, which have garnered massive attention from fans.

However, in a recent interview, the veteran leggie opened up on his bond with legendary cricketer Dhoni and expressed how he prefers remaining silent around the latter.

“He (MS Dhoni) is the only person; unke saamne aate hi meri bolti bandh ho jaati hai (I am tongue-tied in front of him). I don’t speak a lot irrespective of the kind of mood I am in. I just sit still and reply only if Mahi bhai asks something. Otherwise, I just keep quiet,” Chahal told on ‘The Ranveer Show’.

Notably, Chahal has featured in 72 ODIs and 75 T20Is and has claimed 121 and 91 wickets, respectively. It is worth mentioning that the 32-year-old is also the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), having racked up 187 wickets in 147 matches.

Yuzvendra Chahal recalls moment when Dhoni backed him during an ‘off day’

Chahal further recalled a peculiar incident during a T20 match against South Africa wherein he was hammered for 64 runs in his four overs. However, despite having to deal with an ‘off day’ on the field, Chahal highlighted that it was Dhoni who backed him and told the former to pick himself up and not get bogged down.

“We were playing a T20 match against South Africa in Centurion. For the first time, I was hit for 64 runs in four overs. (Heinrich) Klaasen was hammering me, so he asked me whether I would bowl round the wicket. I said okay, but then Klaasen hit me for a six,” said Chahal.

“I was walking back when Mahi bhai came to me and told me, ‘Aaj tere din nahi hai, koi baat nahi’ (Today is not your day, it’s okay). But he told me that the five balls that I have left, I should try and not concede a boundary on those as that will help the team. From that experience, I realized that even if you have an off day, you can still support the team,” he added.