The 36-year-old has seen the Mumbai Indians from close quarters and spoke about the transition that happened when the franchise roped in Hardik Pandya as a skipper.
Born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, a young bloke would have never imagined that he would win the ODI World Cup, a T20 World Cup, and IPL with the winning hit – yes, Piyush Chawla has done it all. He is one such player who has witnessed the advent of 360-degree batting, the shift from bowling a flighted delivery to firing them in. It’s not a cakewalk to be there for 18 long years, but Piyush always aced it. Back during the Challenger Series 2005-06, Chawla cleaned up the great Sachin Tendulkar with a googly and went on to make his first-class debut at 17.
Look back at IPL 2022, where Chawla went unsold and was asked to join the commentary panel. But one year later, he was roped in by the Mumbai Indians and became the team’s highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in 16 matches. It was his son who forced him to make a comeback as he wanted to see his father play again.
Recently, Chawla, who is one of the most underrated wrist spinners in the history of Indian cricket, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The Uttar Pradesh-based spinner played for India in three Tests, 25 ODIs, and seven T20Is, taking 43 wickets across all formats of the game. Chawla has over 1000 wickets across formats in domestic cricket.
ALSO READ:
“God has been kind that I was a part of the World Cup-winning squad. I had a beautiful journey in the IPL as well. Now, there is no regret as such. Retirement was on my mind for the last few months, so it’s not that it was sudden”, Piyush Chawla told CricXtasy in an exclusive conversation.
Chawla, who has now become one of the most trusted voices of cricket, spoke about the challenges he faced when he started off as a commentator. “Well, it’s something which I enjoy. I love talking about the game. Initially, it was challenging to get familiar with the technicalities of it, and once I got used to it, it seems like a routine now”, Chawla added.
The 36-year-old has seen the Mumbai Indians from close quarters and spoke about the transition that happened when the franchise roped in Hardik Pandya as a skipper. Earlier, Rohit Sharma used to lead the team and has helped them win five IPL titles.
“When Hardik came in after a successful stint with the Gujarat Titans, it added strength to the squad, though we didn’t win those crucial games, and that’s where things didn’t go our way as a team. But now things have become smooth and easy”, he stated.
In the middle of the IPL 2025, the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their Test retirements, leaving a massive void in the Indian cricket setup. The two stalwarts have done so much for the country, with Kohli scoring 9,230 runs in the red ball format. Rohit, on the other hand, made 4,301 runs in his Test career.
“See, retirement for any player is a very personal decision, and filling those big shoes will not be that easy, but at the same time, that’s how the game goes. Players go and come, and that’s the cycle. Talking about England, it’s never easy to play in those tough conditions, but I think this Indian team has got enough strength to do well there”, Chawla told CricXtasy.
After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as a full-time Test skipper. A lot of people reckoned that the board jumped in too early, while a few thought this decision was visionary.
“He is someone who is very young and has been a quality player. He has done well for the country across formats of the game. BCCI is clearly looking to strengthen the future, and I think it’s a wise decision without any doubt”, the former MI spinner said.
Just after winning the T20 World Cup in 2024, Rahul Dravid’s stint as a head coach ended, and that is when the BCCI named Gautam Gambhir as a head coach. Under the coaching of Gambhir, the Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 2024, and he has had a good CV as a coach and mentor. Chawla was a part of KKR’s 2014 IPL-winning team and also smashed the winning runs for the Gautam Gambhir-led side in the grand finale against the Punjab Kings in Bengaluru.
“Well, I have played a lot of cricket with Gauti bhai, have him as my captain, though never played under him as coach. But whatever I have seen from outside, he has got amazing game-reading sense, we have seen that in IPL, and this England series will be challenging though,” Chawla confided.
India’s veteran pacer, Jasprit Bumrah, is a vital part of the Indian team, and he will play a crucial role against the formidable England team. However, there have been a lot of questions around Bumrah’s availability in all five Test matches against the English side. In the squad announcement press conference, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that he wouldn’t play more than three Tests on this tour.
“Well, it totally depends on the team management how they are going to use Jassi, it’s hard to predict anything from here”, Chawla said.
Talking about KL Rahul, he started the proceedings in the Test series against Australia in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He batted well, scoring a couple of half-centuries. In the warm-up match against England Lions, Rahul scored a century while playing for India A, batted with complete grace and confidence.
“I feel KL Rahul should bat at the top of the order, especially after what he has done in BGT. He has done a remarkable job as an opener”, Chawla added.
India’s Playing XI: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan/Abhimanyu Easawaran, Shubman Gill, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
