Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla first hit the headlines when he clean bowled Sachin Tendulkar with a googly in a Challenger Series match. Chawla then took 35 wickets and scored 224 runs in his maiden first-class season to help UP win their first Ranji Trophy. In March 2006, Chawla became the second youngest Test debutant for India after Sachin Tendulkar when he earned his first India cap against England in Mohali. But Chawla's Test debut wasn't memorable enough as he was taken apart by Kevin Pietersen and the leg-spinner could manage just one wicket. But Chawla took three wickets on ODI debut in Bangladesh in 2007, and during India's tour and England in the same year, often troubled Pietersen with his variations. Chawla was dropped from the Indian team in 2008 after a poor performance in the Asia Cup and made headlines again when he was selected for the 2011 ODI World Cup.