CSK Pacer Shares Epic Rohit Sharma Story, Wants Him To Play For "Next 10 Years"
Khaleel Ahmed recalled an incredible episode of Rohit Sharma's leadership and humility from 2019.
- Rohit Sharma has been praised for his leadership and batting by Indian cricketer Khaleel Ahmed
- Khaleel recalled an incident where Rohit encouraged him after a poor bowling performance in 2019
- Khaleel believes Rohit Sharma should "should play for the next 10 years" in international cricket
One of the finest batters India has produced, Rohit Sharma hasn't delivered match-winning performances with the bat but also won hearts of fans and his teammates with his leadership. One of the Indian players who has been thoroughly impressed by his captaincy is Khaleel Ahmed, a left-arm pacer who plays for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at present. In fact, Khaleel feels Rohit Sharma should continue playing in international cricket for the next 10 years.
In a chat with RevSportz, Khaleel recalled a 2019 incident involving Rohit when he didn't have the best of time with the ball. It was Rohit who held a one-to-one chat with him and encouraged him to do well despite the setback.
"I feel Rohit Sharma should play for the next 10 years for the good of Indian cricket and that's my personal feeling. When in 2019, we were playing a series against Bangladesh in Rajkot, once I didn't have a great day and only got one wicket, so he came to me and spoke to me personally in the dressing room.
"The team was leaving the stadium and he stayed back to have a one on one with me and told me how I should be. He told me that I am unaware of my own capabilities. When we were getting out of the stadium, all the fans were screaming for Rohit bhai and he told me that 'all of this should happen for you too' and that I should wish that for myself and stay positive," Khaleel revealed.
Khaleel isn't the first person who has witnessed Rohit Sharma's humility up close and personal. Like many other players who have played under the Hitman, Khaleel highlighted the sort of impact he has had on him.
"A captain like him, talking to me like that after the match, made me wonder how kind a person he was. I've seen him do the same thing with Rishabh (Pant). 'What a man! What a captain!' I would say. People don't even look at you when you have a bad match but as a captain he is something else. Recently, I met him at the NCA (Centre of Excellence) during the Duleep Trophy and he looked very fit so I asked him to stay like that and keep playing. I have hardly seen such a captain and person in my life, he is a gem and I have a lot of respect and love for him. It's not possible to express everything in this short interview," Khaleel further said.
Rohit Sharma