Piyush Chawla is an Indian cricketer who has played all three formats for the Indian national team. He was born on 24 December 1988 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He is a right-arm leg break bowler, and bats left-handed. He is seen as an all-rounder in domestic cricket and is a specialist bowler in international cricket.
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Piyush Chawla’s cricketing career started when he played for the India U-19 side. He played his first match, an U-19 test against England in 2004-05 and picked up 13 wickets from two matches. He was just 15 years of age when he made his debut for the U-19 side. In his first-class debut match against South Zone in Duleep Trophy 2005-06, Chawla contributed 60 runs to the eight-wicket stand of 92 runs with Harvinder Singh.
Later in 2005-06, he was a part of the U-19 side that beat Australia 4-1 in a limited overs series. After that, he went on to win the 2006 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup. Chawla claimed 4 wickets in 8 overs conceding just 8 runs in the 2006 U-19 World Cup final. He also scored unbeaten 25 runs knock in the match. While playing for Sussex County Club in 2009, Chawla took 8 wickets in a match against Worcestershire. He performed quite good with the bat as well by scoring 102 not out after facing only 86 deliveries while batting at number 9.
He was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, with 32 dismissals in six matches. The leggie was also the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with sixteen dismissals in eight matches.
Chawla contributed usefully in the two IPL victories for the Kolkata Knight Riders and etched his name in the record books when he scored the winning runs in the 2014 version. Ahead of the 2020 season, Chawla was released by KKR, who then went into the IPL Player Auction with a base price of INR 1 cr. After a bidding war with Kings XI Punjab, Chawla was secured by Chennai Super Kings and became the most expensive capped Indian player. His subtle control with the ball and intelligent use of the conditions will make him a vital component of the CSK attack.
Chawla made an impressive debut in ODIs on 12 May 2007, as he picked up three wickets in his first match against Bangladesh. He has been much more successful in the One-day format of the game though bamboozling the English middle-order with an wide assortment of leggies during the Indian tour of England in 2007. He was also a member of the ICC Cricket World Cup-winning Indian squad in 2011.
Chawla made an entry in to the T20 team after successful Indian Premier League seasons on 2 May 2010 against South Africa where he picked up one wicket. He later went on to play the 2010 T20 World Cup too.
Piyush Chawla’s performance in the 2006 U-19 World Cup resulted in his selection for the Indian national side. He played his first Test for the senior side against England. He picked just one wicket in the whole match. He returned to tests only two years later against South Africa, which again was an unsuccessful venture for him. He has played a total of three tests, the last one against England where he made a comeback with impressive figures of 4/69.
Chawla was just 16 when he took the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar in a domestic match. Chawla considers the wicket to be the most cherished wicket. Chawla has 17 years 75 days when he first played for India in the test format and became the second youngest player to play for India after Sachin Tendulkar. He says his shorter height has always been a boon rather than a curse for him. It, according to Chawla, gives him an enough space to flight the ball, which is quite useful for the spin bowlers.
