No insecurity with Kuldeep: Piyush Chawla explains his move to Gujarat

Veteran leg spinner Piyush Chawla recently signed up with the defending Ranji Trophy champions Gujarat for the upcoming domestic season. Along with Chawla, RP Singh also moved to Gujarat and the duo would be the two professional players in the Gujarat lineup this year. The move to leave Uttar Pradesh was a surprising one from Piyush Chawla since he had played for the UP team for over a decade.

Many speculated that his move had something to do with the emergence of Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep, who was recently in action for the Indian team in Sri Lanka, is rising up the ranks with every passing game. However, as per the quotes in ESPNcricinfo, Piyush quashed all such talks. He remarked that his move to switch over to Gujarat is due to presence of turning tracks in west India. Also, he added that there is no question of being insecure since he has been around for 12 years in the Indian domestic circuit.

“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,” quoted Piyush Chawla.

“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,” said Chawla.

Parthiv Patel happy with the move

Meanwhile, the captain of the defending champions Gujarat, Parthiv Patel, expressed his happiness over Piyush Chawla joining the roster.  He remarked that the team will be playing their home games in Valsad and Surat, where there is some purchase for the spinners. He expects Piyush to be making the most out of the opportunity.

“With India playing 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 caliber. We will be playing our home games in Surat and Valsad, where it turns. Having a wristspinner, we thought, would add a lot of value,” said Parthiv Patel.