India pacer Khaleel Ahmed has heaped praise on captain Rohit Sharma, recalling a heartfelt dressing-room moment from 2019 that left an everlasting impression on him. In a candid interview with RevSportz, the 26-year-old fast bowler opened up on Rohit’s leadership qualities, his personal kindness, and the invaluable motivation he received during one of the toughest phases of his career. Despite him playing so less under Rohit, he hailed his leadership qualities.
Khaleel recounted an incident during the T20I series against Bangladesh in Rajkot when he had a modest outing. “I didn’t have a great day and only got one wicket. Rohit bhai came to me in the dressing room and spoke to me one-on-one,” Khaleel remembered. “The team was leaving the stadium, but he stayed back to talk. He told me I’m unaware of my own capabilities. When we were exiting, fans were shouting his name, and he told me, ‘All of this should happen for you too. You should wish this for yourself and stay positive”.
That special act of encouragement, Khaleel said, has stayed with him ever since. He added that Rohit has shown the same kind of thoughtful support to others, including India’s Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant. “A captain like him, talking to me like that after the match, made me wonder how kind a person he is. I’ve seen him do the same with Rishabh (Pant). People don’t even look at you when you’ve had a bad game, but he’s something else,” Khaleel revealed.
While expressing his admiration for Rohit, Khaleel also shared his own ambitions of returning to the Indian team, saying he feels stronger both physically and mentally now. “I have gained a lot of experience and I’m pretty strong now. I’ve been playing domestic cricket continuously and with India A since 2017. I also played for India in 2018-19,” he explained.
Khaleel last featured in an ODI for India in 2019 and played his most recent T20I in July 2024. Despite being out of the senior national team, he continues to feature regularly in India A and domestic cricket, determined to seize any opportunity that comes his way
