India and Mumbai Indians spinner Piyush Chawla recited an interesting tale about former MI captain and India Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma. Chawla, who has played with Rohit for Team India, revealed that Sharma woke him up late at night to discuss field placings.

Rohit Sharma has received much accolades for his leadership abilities on both the national team and the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, which he captained from 2013 to last year. Rohit, one of the most successful IPL captains, achieved his first triumph with India earlier this year when the team won the T20 World Cup in June.

Under Rohit's captaincy, India came dangerously close to winning two more ICC titles, the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup, both in 2023.

Piyush Chawla, the experienced Indian spinner who played under Rohit's leadership during the 2023 IPL season, has now spoken up, praising the then-Mumbai Indians captain's unflinching dedication to the franchise.

Chawla had a successful season in IPL 2023, taking 25 wickets in 16 matches and finishing fourth overall.

Chawla revealed that Rohit called him into his room at 2:30 in the night to discuss a strategy against Delhi Capitals' opener, David Warner.

"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.

Chawla went on to say that Rohit Sharma is a "leader" rather than a captain, giving examples from last year's ODI World Cup and this year's T20 World Cup.

“There's a captain, then there's a leader. He isn't a captain, he is a leader. Whether it was the 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 the next batters. He's a true leader. He gives you a free hand,” said Chawla.