‘Don’t plan to use social media much once back to work’

Cricket matches have taken a pause, so, many cricketers are having a ball on social media instead. And leading the bandwagon is Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been entertaining his fans and colleagues through his social media platforms, which included Tiktok, until it was banned in India recently, among 58 other Chinese apps. Chahal’s Tiktok videos with his family grabbed eyeballs and became a talking point.

“I used Tiktok for fun. Lockdown gave me the time to use it, as there was nothing much to do. We (his family) all were together after a long time so it was quite an exciting experience,” shares Chahal. The 29-year-old is also known to put hilarious comments on live videos or posts by other celebrities. But he maintains that it’s just for humour, and only till he has free time on his hands. He says, “It’s almost after 14-15 years that I am home for such a long time. I have enjoyed my family time to the fullest. I do not plan to use much of social media when I get back [to work].”

After the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, Chahal changed his display picture on Instagram to a photo of the late actor. “I met Sushant at an event where we hardly spoke for 15-20 minutes. He was in Mahi bhai’s (cricketer MS Dhoni) movie (MS Dhoni: The Untold Story; 2016), so he had a lot of knowledge about cricket. His death came as such a shock. Ek toh laga ki chhoti si age mein woh chale gaye. I admired his work and also the way he would interact with his fans,” shares the cricketer. Chahal urges everyone to continue their hard work, and not give up on their talent because of rejection. “Hard work always pays off; it’ll never be wasted, no matter which field you’re in.”

Not many know but Chahal has been a national level chess champion. “During the lockdown, I got my hands again on chess, and even streamed the game online with Anand (legendary chess player Viswanathan Anand) sir.”

The Haryana-born cricketer recently donated funds for abandoned donkeys and horses in Uttarakhand during the lockdown. “I don’t like to talk about my charity work on social media. The organisation tagged me in it and mujhe repost karna padha,” he shares, adding, “I love animals. Both my pets have been adopted from shelters.”

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/ YUZI_CHAHAL23 Lockdown gave me the time to use social media, as there was nothing much to do. We (his family) were together after a long time so it was quite an exciting experience.