Young Indian speedster Khaleel Ahmed made his international debut for India in the recently concluded Asia Cup. He got to play just two games – against Hong Kong and Afghanistan – and picked up 4 wickets with a decent economy rate. However, the happiness was ultimately visible on his face when he lifted the Asia Cup trophy after India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets.
The entire world saw him lifting the golden trophy and roaring loud. But it all happened because of former skipper and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni who asked stand-in captain Rohit Sharma to hand the trophy to the youngest member in the team.
“Dhoni bhai asked Rohit Sharma to let me hold the trophy on the dais. He gave me the trophy because I was the youngest member in the team and it was my debut series. It was a memorable experience for me,” Khaleel said in an interview.
The young speedster from Rajasthan made his debut against Hong Kong. And who could forget how hard India toiled to get the breakthrough. Kahleel recalls the way Dhoni guided him and kept him calm when the entire team was under pressure.
“Dhoni walked up to me and said ' pace maintain kar ke rakh aur thoda aage daal' (maintain your pace and bowl a bit forward). I tried it twice and it worked for me. Finally, I managed to break the opening stand. We all are lucky to have Dhoni in the team,” he added.
Khaleel believes that he has done pretty well to impress the selectors and expects to get a few more chances in the near future as he is excited to play under Virat Kohli.
“I am happy with the way I performed in the Asia Cup. I hope to play against West Indies at home. Hope I have impressed the selectors. I am excited to play under Virat Kohli,” the 20-year-old continued.