“I also had the same story” – Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell and Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer explore common connection despite taking different paths
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell and Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer have divulged that they needed to decide between pursuing a career in either cricket or football.
In an interview on the Blues' official social media channels, Chilwell stated that he played cricket until he was 16 years old.
"I played cricket probably from the age of 10 up until I was 16. Then I had the choice between football and cricket. I couldn't do both anymore, so it was one or the other. That is when I chose to carry on with football instead of cricket," he said about his decision to pursue a career in football.
Claiming to have been in a similar situation, Shreyas reacted to Chilwell's story by saying:
"Oh wow, I also had the same story. I played both sports, and I had to choose one when I was 12. That's how I chose cricket."
Currently, Shreyas is a part of India's ICC ODI World Cup squad who are gunning to win the trophy at home. India are atop the standings after winning all six of their games.
Meanwhile, Chilewell is currently sidelined at Stamford Bridge after picking up a hamstring issue. He has made seven appearances across competitions for Mauricio Pochettino's team this season.
Chelsea's Ben Chilwell reveals the cricketer he admired while growing up
Chelsea's Ben Chilwell further stated that he admired former England batter Kevin Pieterson while growing up. In a recent interview with Indian batter Shreyas Iyer, the full-back also expressed his love for ace all-rounder Ben Stokes from the current England squad.
Pieterson was an explosive batter who represented England in 104 Tests and 136 ODIs, scoring 8,181 and 4,440 runs, respectively.
"I always grew up watching Kevin Pieterson. I was a batsman, so was he. He was the batsman at the time that I enjoyed watching and then I was lucky enough to do a shoot with him, maybe two years ago, which was fun but I got to meet him. I kind of grew up idolizing him," Chilwell said about his compatriot.
Reacting to Chilwell's comments on Pieterson, Shreyas admitted that he too was a fan of the former batter. Pieterson currently works as a commentator and pundit.