Yuzvendra Chahal addresses online trolling, misleading narratives

Indian cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up about social media trolling, dating rumours, personal attacks, and unwanted PR narratives. In an interview with a local Indian channel, Chahal shared his perspective on how public perception is managed.

“I don’t really mind as long as the trolling is directed at me in a positive or lighthearted way,” Yuzvendra Chahal claimed. “But when you start dragging someone else’s name into it… that’s where it becomes wrong, because they don’t know anything about it.”

The 35-year-old leg-spinner elaborated on how simple social outings are often misrepresented. “For instance, I went out for dinner with someone. Now, I don’t know who called the PR, or how I ended up in that narrative—I had gone to Mumbai after six months. I just thought, I’m tired of hotel food, let’s go out. You want to meet your friends; it’s not necessary that if a boy and a girl are going out, there must be something going on between them as ‘boyfriend and girlfriend.'”

He expressed his frustration with the inability to control these stories, saying, “Obviously, that feels bad because… I mean, suppose I say I’ll start a PR campaign against you, but how many people can you really stop?”

Dismissing those who seek to exploit his name for publicity, Yuzvendra Chahal stated that he has learned to tune out the noise. “So, I just ignore it. It doesn’t affect me. Whoever wants to print whatever, let them; I’m getting free PR and staying in the news, so let it be. I know who I am, my family knows who I am, and my friends know who I am. So, why should I care about a random third person who doesn’t even exist in my life?”