Piyush Chawla names discarded India star as most difficult batsman to bowl to
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has recently picked the batter who has been the most difficult to bowl to according to him. Surprisingly, the veteran legspinner chose Wriddhiman Saha as the player he found most difficult to bowl.
Chawla has been playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the tournament's inaugural edition in 2008. He is one of those rare cricketers who have been playing the IPL and haven't retired yet.
During his career, Saha has played for four IPL teams - Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings now), Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians. He has been a highly experienced campaigner in the IPL so far. Apart from 2020 and 2022, he has played at least one match in every IPL season so far.
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Piyush Chawla names Wriddhiman Saha as the most difficult batsman to bowl to
During a conversation with 2 Sloggers on their YouTube channel, Piyush Chawla picked Wriddhiman Saha as the most difficult batter he has ever found to bowl to. Chawla reckoned that Saha could play shots off good balls with his favorite sweep shot, which made him a difficult batter for any spinner.
"If I tell you the truth, you would believe that I am joking. If I have a difficulty in bowling to a particular batter, then it's Wriddhiman Saha. This is because many of us do not consider Saha as a hitter," Chawla said.
"If a player plays the sweep shot well, he is going to create problems for a spinner. This is because sweep shot is always played off a good ball. So whenever I bowl to Saha, he will play the sweep or play a shot by stepping out. That's why I always thought that bowling to Saha was difficult. Other than him, I haven't been troubled by any other batter," the 25-year-old added.
Wriddhiman Saha's memorable IPL knock
Wriddhiman Saha is currently playing for Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Although his IPL 2024 season with Titans was hampered by injury issues, he played a key role in Gujarat Titans' championship win in 2022 and the runners-up title in 2023.
The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has played for five IPL teams in his career - Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Gujarat Titans (GT).
He played a blinder in the IPL 2014 final for Kings XI Punjab against Kolkata Knight Riders. While batting at No. 4, Saha smashed a blistering 115* off just 55 balls, and hit 10 fours and 8 sixes during his knock. His innings took Punjab to a brilliant score in the final.
However, KKR chased down the target with just 3 balls to spare. Fittingly, it was Piyush Chawla who hit the winning runs for KKR with a boundary to propel the team to a title win.
Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL right now. However, his team could change in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega-auctions. Chawla is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL with 192 wickets in 192 matches at an economy rate of less than 8.
