"Mahi Bhai"- Piyush Chawla opens up on who between himself and MS Dhoni will be first to retire
Mumbai Indians (MI) spinner Piyush Chawla feels MS Dhoni would retire from competitive cricket first between the two. While the duo played in the 2024 IPL season, Chawla, 35, and Dhoni, 43, are both at the fag end of their playing careers.
Interestingly, Chawla debuted for India in T20Is in 2007 and played his last game in 2012 under Dhoni's captaincy. The leggie was also part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lineup in the 2020 IPL season with Dhoni as captain.
When asked who between himself and Dhoni would walk away from the sport first, Chawla said as quoted by Hindustan Times:
"Mahi bhai [smiles]."
Chawla also narrated an interesting conversation he had with Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Prithvi Shaw that showed his hunger to continue playing for a while.
"A while ago, Prithvi Shaw told me, 'Bas karo yaar ab PC bhai.' I said, 'I've played with Sachin paaji, and now playing with his son. I am playing with you, and after playing with your son, I will retire,'" said Chawla.
Despite showcasing his immense talent often on the international stage, Chawla was plagued by inconsistencies and has played only 35 games across formats for India. The 35-year-old picked up 43 wickets with three four-wicket hauls and was part of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning Indian squad.
"I said fine, 'Let them talk'" - Piyush Chawla on his critics
Piyush Chawla took a shot at critics who questioned the Mumbai Indians (MI) acquiring the spinner before the 2023 IPL season. He mentioned how the same people have started hailing the veteran cricketer on social media after his outstanding 2022 and 2023 IPL campaigns.
Chawla went unsold in the IPL 2022 auction after playing only the lone game for MI in 2021. However, the franchise picked him again for the 2023 IPL season and the leggie has responded in style. Commenting on the experience, he said:
"With due respect to everyone, MI had good spinners but somewhere down the line, experience matters. If a pressure situation arises, the way an experienced campaigner will handle it, a youngster won't be able to.
"When we were 20-21, we used to bowl to escape punishment, now we do it to pick wickets. When people questioned, 'Why Piyush Chawla, and this that?' I said, 'Fine, let them talk.' Then the same people started messaging me, posting on social media such as 'PC is back, PC 2.0."
The 35-year-old enjoyed an incredible comeback season in IPL 2023, picking up 22 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 22.50 and an economy of 8.11. Chawla continued his excellent run in this year's IPL, finishing with 13 wickets in 11 outings.