Former Indian cricketer Piyush Chawla has recently shared an intriguing anecdote involving himself and Rohit Sharma. Chawla, who represented India for the last time in December 2012, had the privilege of sharing the dressing room with Rohit in both international cricket and the Indian Premier League. Notably, Chawla was a part of the victorious Indian teams in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, where Rohit was also a key player.
In 2023, Chawla had the opportunity to play for the Mumbai Indians under Rohit's captaincy. During a recent interview, Chawla shed light on Rohit's exceptional leadership skills, even when not on the field.
"I've played so much cricket with him that we've reached a comfort level. We sit off-the-field as well. Once, at 2:30 in the night, he texted me and asked, 'You up?' He drew a field on paper and discussed with me about potentially dismissing Warner. Even at that time, he was thinking about how he could get the best out of me," Chawla told Shubhankar Mishra on YouTube.
"There's a captain, then there's a leader. He isn't a captain, he is a leader. Whether it was 2023 ODI WC, or the 2024 T20 WC, the way he batted, he sets the tone in such a way that he made it easy for next batters. He's a true leader. He gives you a free hand," he added.
Rohit Sharma assumed the captaincy of the Indian cricket team following Virat Kohli's resignation, leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite this success, Rohit decided to retire from T20I cricket, but he continues to serve as captain for India in ODI and Test matches.
During his tenure, Rohit guided Mumbai Indians to an unprecedented five IPL titles, a feat later matched by the Chennai Super Kings.
In preparation for the IPL 2024 season, Mumbai Indians made the controversial decision to replace Rohit with Hardik Pandya as captain, a move that sparked intense criticism from fans and pundits alike.
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