IND vs BAN: Piyush Chawla exposes Rohit Sharma's late-night text: 'At 2:30, he asked me...'

The 35-year-old India National Cricket Team leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has opened up on receiving a late-night text from Rohit Sharma once during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla have played together for Team India in international cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The duo share a great bond and the spinner has often been seen praising Rohit for his batting as well as leadership skills.

Chawla, who has been playing in the Indian Premier League since its inception, had his best IPL season in 2023 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. In 16 matches, he bagged 22 wickets at an average of 22.50, an economy of 8.11, and a strike rate of 16.6.

Mumbai Indians also produced a good turnaround in 2023 after a wooden spoon finish in 2022. They qualified for the playoffs with a very young team but lost to Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier match in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla has spilled the beans on how Rohit Sharma worked overtime in that season to help his franchise forget the nightmarish 2022 season.

Also Read: IND vs BAN: Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni? Piyush Chawla picks better captain

Once, at 2:30 in the night, he texted me and asked, "you up?" - Piyush Chawla on Rohit Sharma

Speaking on a podcast, Piyush Chawla revealed that Rohit Sharma texted him at 2:30 in the night to discuss a strategy. Chawal said that Rohit drew a field on paper and discussed with him a plan to dismiss David Warner, who was playing for Delhi Capitals.

"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.

Chawal also lauded Rohit as the true 'leader' of the team and highlighted how the Indian skipper led from the front in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Notably, IPL 2023 was Rohit Sharma's last season as captain of Mumbai Indians after leading the franchise to 5 title wins. The Mumbai Indians decided to sack Rohit Sharma from the role ahead of the IPL 2024 and handed the leadership to all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was traded in from Gujarat Titans.

This decision was heavily criticized by fans and experts, who made life difficult for all-rounder Pandya. Under Pandya's leadership, MI performed terribly and finished at the bottom. There are rumors that Rohit has already played his last season with MI and will join a new team in IPL 2025.

Talking about Rohit's international commitment, he is currently on a break and will return to action in the two-match home Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. The first Test will be played from September 19 in Chennai, and the second Test will be played from September 27 in Kanpur.