Being able to be competitive makes me feel nice: Piyush Chawla

Veteran India spinner Piyush Chawla returned to action in this season’s domestic league with the Gujarat side in the Ranji Trophy. After significant contributions in the tournament, Chawla has continued the good work for his side in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The leggie looks in good shape and aims to keep the momentum going.

During Gujarat’s West Zone Twenty20 tie on Thursday, the 29-year-old became only the fourth Indian bowler to have picked 200 wickets in the shortest format of the game after dismissing Baroda’s Urvil Patel. When he dismissed Rishi Arothe off the next ball, the leg-spinner became one of the very few active bowlers in Indian cricket to have had a combined tally of 800 wickets across first-class, List A and Twenty20 cricket.

Speaking to Sportstar about the feat, Chawla said, “A friend had called me two days ago to tell me I am on the verge of 800 wickets but didn’t know about the 200 T20 wickets. That I have been able to be competitive across formats for so long makes me feel nice.”

Chawla in a quest to revive his career

It has indeed been a long journey since a teenaged leggie had foxed Sachin Tendulkar with his googly in the Challenger Trophy. Chawla who made his Test debut in 2006, also featured in India’s memorable World Twenty20 triumph in South Africa in 2007 and the 2011 World Cup on home soil. Ironically, Chawla has gone amiss and been out of the fray. He made his last appearance in an international, in a T20I against England in Mumbai in December 2012.

Since then, Chawla concentrated on getting his form back and religiously played in the domestic leagues.  He led Uttar Pradesh for a couple of seasons and in a quest to revive his career after an injury-marred 2016-17, switched to Gujarat at the start of the ongoing season. And he seems to have had a fruitful run. Chawla’stally of 32 wickets in Gujarat’s Ranji campaign was his highest in the tournament for almost a decade.