Happy Birthday Yuzvendra Chahal: These unknown facts about India spinner will SHOCK you - In Pics

Chahal has played 127 international games in which he has bagged 192 wickets. He is the fastest Indian bowler (in Men's cricket) to scalp 50 T20I wickets and also the first Indian bowler (in Men's cricket) to take a 5-wicket haul in T20Is. 

Apart from cricket and chess, Chahal is also a football fan. He supports Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo is his favourite footballer.

Initially, Chahal used to be a medium pacer but later on, he shifted his focus to leg-spin and has mastered the art.

An avid movie buff, Chahal’s dream date is Katrina Kaif. “I like Katrina a lot, her smile appeals the most to me,” Chahal had said in an interview.

Yuzi is married to Dhanashree Verma, who was once Chahal's dance teacher. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Dhanashree spilled beans on the couple's first meeting. Revealing how they first met, she said that it began as a student-teacher relationship in April. He had seen her dance videos on YouTube and knew about her work. During the lockdown, Yuzvendra decided to learn new things, including dance, and got in touch with her. Soon they started their dance classes. The couple became friends and soon felt a connection. It was friendship that turned into love for the couple.

For the unversed Dhanashree describes herself as Doctor, Choreographer, YouTuber and founder of Dhanashree Verma Company on Instagram. Dhanashree is 24 year old and is also a dentist by profession, she had studied Dentistry from DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai.

Chahal made his international debut against Zimbabwe in June 2016, in both ODI and T20I formats. The spinner rose to fame after his exploits in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore, whom he played for from 2014 to 2021.

The leg-spinner first attracted attention when he took 34 wickets in the National Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy in 2009, ending the tournament as its leading wicket-taker.

Chahal is the only player to represent India in chess and cricket. His name is listed in FIDE’s official site. Prior to his exposure to cricket, young Chahal had represented India in chess in various age group levels. He was crowned as the Under-12 champion in the 2002 national children’s chess. Next year, he represented India in the Asian Youth Championship (Under 12 category) at Kozhikode. He was placed in the Top 20. He was also the part of Indian U-16 chess team and played in the World Youth Championships for India in Greece.

Chahal, who wanted to become a top chess player, could not find a sponsor so he changed his focus from chess to cricket.