35-year-old Indian National Cricket Team leg-spinner Piyush Chawla started receiving late-night texts from Rohit Sharma once in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla played together for Team India in international cricket and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The duo share a great bond and the spinner often praises Rohit for his batting and leadership skills.
Playing in the Indian Premier League since its inception, Chawla had his best IPL season in 2023 under Rohit Sharma. In 16 matches, he took 22 wickets at an average of 22.50, an economy of 8.11 and a strike rate of 16.6.
Mumbai Indians also made a good comeback in 2023 after finishing with a wooden spoon in 2022. They qualified for the playoffs with a very young team but lost to Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla explained how he worked hard in that season to help Rohit Sharma forget the nightmare season of 2022.
Also read: IND vs BAN: Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni? Piyush Chawla picks a better captain
One time he texted me at 2:30 in the morning and said “are you up?” – Piyush Chawla on Rohit Sharma
Speaking on a podcast, Piyush Chawla revealed that Rohit Sharma texted him at 2:30 am to discuss a strategy. Chawal said that Rohit drew a field on paper and discussed with him the plan to dismiss David Warner, who plays for Delhi Capitals.
“I’ve played so much cricket with him that we’ve reached a comfort level. We also sit outside the field. One time at 2:30 in the morning he texted me and asked, ‘Are you up?’ discussed his removal, even then he was thinking how he can get the best out of me,” Chawla told Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube.
Chawal also hailed Rohit as a true “leader” of the team and highlighted how the Indian skipper has led from the front in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Notably, IPL 2023 was Rohit Sharma’s last season as the captain of Mumbai Indians and led the franchise to 5 titles. Mumbai Indians have decided to sack Rohit Sharma ahead of IPL 2024 and gave the lead to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was traded from Gujarat Titans.
This decision was severely criticized by fans and pundits who made life difficult for the all-rounder Pandya. Under Pandya’s leadership, MI performed terribly and finished at the end. Rohit has already completed his last season with MI and is rumored to be joining a new team in IPL 2025.
Talking about Rohit’s international commitment, he is currently on a break and will return to action in the two-match home Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. The first Test will be played in Chennai from September 19, while the second Test will be played in Kanpur on September 27.
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