Out-of-favour India cricketer Piyush Chawla has revealed an unheard tale of his and Rohit Sharma. Chawla, who last played for India in December 2012, has shared the dressing room with Rohit in international cricket and Indian Premier League as well. Chawla was also part of the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning Indian team that also had Rohit in it. In the year 2023, Chawla played for Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s captaincy. In a recent interview, Chawla revealed how Rohit stays active as captain even off the ground.

“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, who took over India’s captaincy after Virat Kohli stepped down from the role, led India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title. After that triumph, Rohit quit T20I cricket, but he remains active as India captain in ODI and Test cricket.

Under Rohit’s leadership, MI won a record of five IPL titles before Chennai Super Kings also equalled the mark.

Ahead of IPL 2024, MI replaced Rohit with Hardik Pandya as the captain, a move that was subjected to harsh criticism.