The 30-year-old, who has been an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore, made a revelation that while he was playing in the league, his parents were battling for life after testing Covid-19 positive. He revealed that it was hard for him to focus when his parents were alone.
“I was planning to take a break from the IPL when I heard the news of my parents getting infected. It was difficult to focus on the game while your parents were alone at home. They tested positive on May 3, and a couple of days later, the tournament got postponed,”
Chahal told India Today.
Chahal’s mother was in quarantine with mild symptoms, but his father’s condition was serious and he had to be hospitalised in Gurgaon. Chahal informed that while his father is still positive, he’s recovering well with oxygen levels back to normal.
“My father’s oxygen level dropped to 85-86, and we had to shift him to the hospital. He had returned home yesterday, but his results are still positive.
However, the good thing is that his oxygen level is around 95-96, which is quite a sigh of relief for us. It will take him another 7-10 days to recover,”
he added.
The leg-spinner had an ordinary IPL season in 2021 with four wickets in seven games while conceding runs at an expensive rate of 8.26. Despite average returns, Chahal is still India’s premier spinner in the limited-overs and will be looking to find his form back in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
With the T20 World Cup just a few months away, the Indian team management is trying to give players maximum playing time. Yuzvendra Chahal asserted that India are one of the favourites to win the tournament even if the T20 WC event is shifted to the UAE.