Piyush Chawla’s perspective on Virat Kohli’s nature and attitude is in stark contrast to the controversial opinion shared by Amit Mishra a while back.
Piyush Chawla’s reaction to Virat Kohli’s nature and attitude and whether it has undergone any transformation is polar opposite to fellow leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s controversial take. Mishra, in an explosive interview last month, had claimed that Kohli ‘changed with the power of captaincy’, a remark that created a storm and riled-up Kohli fans. Mishra was blasted left, right and center, with many brining up his notorious off-the-field instances. Mishra had also highlighted how Kohli’s behaviour towards him changed during the former’s final days of playing for India, despite reports that it was in fact Virat who went the extra mile to bring the best out of the leggie and revive his India career.
Virat Kohli (L) and Piyush Chawla during the 2023 World Cup.(Getty)
To paraphrase what Mishra had said, Kohli’s behavioral pattern was not the same before and after India captaincy, to the extent that the two nearly stopped talking. In contrast, Chawla’s perspective is a whole lot different. The leg-spinner, who has known Kohli for almost an eternity and played with him at various stages of his career, reckons Virat is just as how he was 15 years ago. Narrating a heart-warming incident from last year’s Asia Cup, Chawla is yet to see any ‘change’ in Kohli, although he admitted that it may not be the case with everyone else.
“Irrespective of whatever amount of cricket I have played, how much I know him, I have always had a very good experience. He played junior cricket together, then in the IPL and for India together. Everyone has their own mindset. Even today we meet very nicely,” Chawla said on the ‘2 Sloggers’ podcast.
Chawla’s Asia Cup story about Kohli
“In fact, when Kohli was playing in the Asia Cup, I was there was commentary. I was near the boundary just after the innings break. He came and said PC yaar, chal kuch achha sa order karein (PC, let’s order something nice). We both are very fond of food. So even today we speak the same way as we did 10-15 years ago.”
Chawla Kohli were part of India’s 2011 World Cup campaign, and although his India career was pretty much over by the time Kohli became captain, the two mostly crossed paths during the IPL. Chawla has dismissed Kohli three times in the IPL, but the batter has managed to score 140 runs off his bowling with 6 sixes and 9 fours.
While Chawla was all praise for Kohli, he ensured to speak a few lines about Mishra, his senior. Chawla made his India debut in 2006 at the age of 17, three years after Mishra first played for the country – Mishra, in fact, would make his Test debut two years after Chawla. The two leg-spinners played for their respective teams in the domestic circuit – Mishra for Delhi and Chawla for UP – but the learnings have been immense.
“The leg-spinner who is in question here, I have learnt a lot from him. He is a senior and the way he has played his cricket and bowled during his career, he has been fantastic. I saw the podcast. It was quite amazing,” added Chawla.
