Cricket - “Time has come to bid adieu” - Piyush Chawla announces retirement from cricket
Chawla calls time from all forms of cricket
Following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test matches for India last month, another legendary Indian cricketer, Piyush Chawla, has called time on his international career, though he will no longer participate in any form of the game.
The leg-spinner made his debut at 15 and went on to represent India U19 before breaking into the national team in 2005-06. He played an integral role in helping the Men in Blue claim two World Cup titles in the 20-over and 50-over formats.
The 36-year-old announced his decision on social media last week, writing:
“After more than two decades on the field, the time has come to bid adieu to the beautiful game. From representing India at the highest level to being part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup squads, every moment in this incredible journey has been nothing short of a blessing.”
In addition to his contributions to the Indian national team, Chawla has enjoyed a sensational Indian Premier League career, which included stints with the Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and most famously the Mumbai Indians.
During his 192 IPL matches, he claimed 192 scalps, which places him third in the all-time highest wicket-takers list in IPL history.
In his post, Chawla also credited his father for serving as his greatest support structure and mentoring him on how to handle the pressure that comes with representing India at the highest level of world cricket.
Chawla’s incredible career stats over the last two decades
Chawla quickly made a name for himself in the first-class arena, where he featured in 137 matches for Uttar Pradesh and picked up an astonishing 446 wickets.
However, it was in the IPL where the spinner really came into his own. He represented KKR in their 2014 title-winning campaign, where he struck the winning runs for Gautam Gambhir’s side against the Punjab Kings. He also notched up 2/44 in his four-over allotment.
On the international scene, Chawla represented the Men in Blue in 25 ODI matches between 2007 and 2011, taking 32 wickets, including best bowling figures of 4/23 and an economy rate of 5.10.
Despite his incredible IPL record, the 36-year-old only featured in seven T20Is for the national team and took four wickets, while only playing three test matches for India between 2006 and 2012, during which he snagged seven wickets, including a best of 4/69.
In the wake of Chawla’s retirement announcement, several of his former teammates responded warmly to his decision, including former Indian wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, who wrote Congratulations on a wonderful career… See you on the other side, bro.’’
