Piyush Chawla, a 35-year-old player for the Indian national cricket team, has opened up about receiving a late-night text message from Rohit Sharma once during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla have played together for Team India in international cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The duo shares a great bond and the bowler has often been seen praising Rohit for his batting and leadership skills.
Chawla, who has been playing in the Indian Premier League since its inception, had his best IPL season in 2023 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. In 16 matches, he picked up 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 nice turnaround in 2023 after a wooden spoon finish in 2022. They qualified for the playoffs with a very young squad but lost to Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla has recounted how Rohit Sharma worked overtime that season to help his franchise forget the nightmare of the 2022 season.
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One time, at 2:30 in the night, he texted me and asked, “Are you awake?” – Piyush Chawla on Rohit Sharma
In a podcast, Piyush Chawla revealed that Rohit Sharma texted him at 2:30 in the night to discuss a strategy. Chawal said that Rohit drew a field on paper and discussed with him a plan to dismiss David Warner, who was playing for Delhi Capitals.
“I have played so much cricket with him that we have reached a point where we are comfortable. We also sit outside the field. Once, at 2.30 in the night, he texted me and asked, ‘Are you awake?’ He drew a field on a paper and spoke to me about the possibility of dismissing Warner. Even then, he was thinking about how he could get the best out of me,” Chawla told Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube.
Chawal also praised Rohit as the true “leader” of the team and highlighted how the Indian captain led from the front in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
It is noteworthy that IPL 2023 was the last season of Rohit Sharma as captain of Mumbai Indians after leading the franchise to win 5 titles. Mumbai Indians decided to sack Rohit Sharma from the charge ahead of IPL 2024 and handed over the leadership to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was transferred from Gujarat Titans.
This decision was heavily criticised by fans and pundits, who made life difficult for all-rounder Pandya. Under Pandya’s leadership, MI performed terribly and finished at the bottom. There are rumours that Rohit has already played his last season with MI and will join a new team in IPL 2025.
As for Rohit’s international commitment, he is currently on a break and will be back in action in the two-match home Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. The first Test will be played from September 19 in Chennai and the second Test will be played from September 27 in Kanpur.