Piyush Chawla (Photo Source: Instagram/Piyush Chawla)
Veteran spinner Piyush Chawla continues to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the age of 35, demonstrating that passion for the game knows no age limit.
Chawla, a two-time World Cup winner, recently responded to his retirement speculation. When asked about his plans to hang up his boots, Chawla shared an interesting story he had with young cricketer Prithvi Shaw.
“A while ago, Prithvi Shaw told me ‘PC bhai bas karo yaar ab’. 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 on Shubhankar Mishra’s show.
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You (media) guys have been putting a question mark on his future: Mohammed Shami
In Chawla’s career, he has shared the field with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and now playing alongside the next generation of talent. Making his India debut in 2006, he was part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup teams, both led by the iconic MS Dhoni. While Dhoni bid farewell to international cricket in 2020, Chawla has yet to make a formal retirement announcement.
Interestingly, when asked who might retire first between him and Dhoni, Chawla pointed to his former captain, saying, “Mahi bhai.” Another cricket star, Mohammed Shami, disclosed Dhoni’s philosophy on retirement.
“You (media) guys have been putting a question mark on his future. The man himself says, ‘Dekha Jayega’ (let’s see), I had this conversation with Mahi bhai, asking ‘When should a player retire?’. He said, ‘First when you yourself get bored and second, Jab lage ki laat padne wali hai (when you realize that you would be kicked out of the team,” Shami had said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel earlier.