Piyush Chawla is an Indian cricketer who has represented his country in all three formats. He was born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on December 24, 1988. He bats left-handed and bowls right-arm leg breaks. In domestic cricket, he is regarded as an all-rounder, while in international cricket, he is regarded as a specialist bowler.
Career
Domestic Career
Piyush Chawla’s cricket career began when he was a member of the India U-19 team. In 2004-05, he played his first match, a U-19 test against England, and he took 13 wickets in two matches. When he made his debut for the U-19 team, he was just 15 years old. Chawla added 60 runs to an eight-wicket stand of 92 runs with Harvinder Singh in his first-class debut against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2005-06.
Later in 2005-06, he was a member of the U-19 team that contested a limited overs series against Australia 4-1. Following that, he won the 2006 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup. In the 2006 U-19 World Cup final, Chawla took four wickets in eight innings, conceding just eight runs. In the contest, he also hit an unbeaten 25-run knock. Chawla took 8 wickets in a match against Worcestershire while playing for Sussex County Club in 2009. He also did well with the bat, making 102 not out after only facing 86 deliveries when batting at number nine.
With 32 dismissals in six matches in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, he was Gujarat’s top wicket-taker. With sixteen dismissals in eight games in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, the leggie was also the top wicket-taker for Gujarat.
IPL Career
Chawla played a crucial role in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ two IPL victories and etched his name in the record books when he scored the winning runs in the 2014 edition. Chawla was released by KKR ahead of the 2020 season, and his base price in the IPL Player Auction was INR 1 crore. Chawla was signed by Chennai Super Kings after a bidding war with Kings XI Punjab, and he became the most expensive capped Indian player. His deft ball handling and astute use of the circumstances can make him an important part of the CSK offensive.
International Career
On 12 May 2007, Chawla made an impressive ODI debut, taking three wickets in his first match against Bangladesh. During the Indian tour of England in 2007, he bamboozled the English middle-order with a large range of leggies and was even more effective in the One-day style of the tournament. In 2011, he was a part of the Indian team that won the ICC Cricket World Cup.
After a good Indian Premier League season, Chawla was called up to the T20 team on 2 May 2010, where he took one wicket against South Africa. He went on to participate in the 2010 T20 World Cup as well.
Piyush Chawla was selected for the Indian national team after his participation in the 2006 U-19 World Cup. He made his senior team debut against England in a Test match. In the whole match, he only took one wicket. Just two years later, he returned to test cricket against South Africa, which he again failed to win. He has featured in three tests, the most recent of which was against England, where he made a good return with figures of 4/69.
Background
Chawla was just 16 years old when he took Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket in a domestic match. The wicket, according to Chawla, is the most coveted wicket. When Chawla first played for India in the test format, he was 17 years and 75 days old, making him the second youngest player in the country after Sachin Tendulkar. He claims that his shorter stature has actually been a blessing rather than a curse. According to Chawla, it provides him with enough room to fly the ball, which is beneficial to spin bowlers.