Piyush Chawla has dismissed suggestions that Kuldeep Yadav’s rise forced him to end his long-term association with Uttar Pradesh cricket in order to represent Gujarat in the upcoming first-class season.
The leg-spinner picked up 226 wickets in 80 first-class matches for UP over a period spanning over a decade but managed to play only two games last season after being sidelined due to injury.
Chawla, who made his Test debut in 2006 played in just three Tests for the next six years, and will be the second UP cricketer to shift his base to Gujarat after another bowling mainstay, RP Singh joined the current Ranji Trophy champions a couple of years ago.
Chawla said that unfriendly pitches made him shift base for the upcoming domestic season.
“Up north, you either get flat wickets or seaming tracks. We’ve struggled to find a middle path, so as a spinner, opportunities to make inroads are very less. I wanted to play in an environment where the surfaces are little more responsive and allow you to make an impact. It was a hard decision to move from a state where you’ve played right from the start, but pure cricketing reasons merited a move,” Chawla was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
With Kuldeep Yadav making a rapid rise, there were speculations that Chawla’s sudden move was prompted by it but the Kolkata Knight Riders star quashed it.
“Most teams field two spinners anyway, so that isn’t the reason. We play together at the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders. I’ve been around for 12 years now, so there’s no insecurity. I’ve read these things in the papers, but I can’t explain the reason to everyone. He’s come along very well, but for me, personally, at this stage of my career, I wanted a new perspective and I thought playing for a side that has come up tremendously would give me an opportunity to contribute in many ways,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel has welcomed Chawla with open arms and feels that the addition of the leg-spinner will boost the bowling lineup which already consists the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and RP Singh.
“With India playing a lot of limited-overs cricket at home, there’s a possibility we may not have the services of Axar Patel throughout. We wanted to strengthen our spin department, and we’re happy to have someone of Piyush’s calibre,” he said. “We will be playing our home games in Surat and Valsad, where it turns. Having a wrist spinner, we thought, would add a lot of value.
Parthiv also acknowledged the importance of Chawla’s batting abilities.
“He’s also very handy lower down the order as a batsman. That skill of his is underrated. So overall, he brings a lot to the table. We had a chat last year. He indicated his willingness to come over, which we thought about ahead of the season. When we assessed our balance as a squad, considering we will defend our title, we felt we were lacking in the spin department. With Piyush coming over, we feel we have most-boxes ticked,” he said.