Hyderabad: India pacer Khaleel Ahmed shared his comradeship with former World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying that the latter is not my friend or elder brother but his guru.
Khaleel shared his camaraderie with the former Indian captain. He also revealed his most memorable incident involving MS Dhoni during the Men in Blue's tour to New Zealand. The 26-year-old made his ODI debut in Asia Cup 2018 under Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the match against Hong Kong where he announced his arrival in international cricket with a three-wicket haul.
The prolific seamer called Dhoni his 'guru' and recalled the special moment from the Asia Cup 2018. "Mahi bhai is not my friend, not my elder brother, he is my guru," Khaleel said in a conversation with Aakash Chopra on his YouTube Channel.
In the match against Afghanistan, the left-arm pacer was asked by Dhoni, who was leading the team in the absence of stand-in skipper Rohit, to open the attack for India. The seamer mentioned that this game holds a special place in his heart as he always wanted to become the bowler who took the first over.
"Since my childhood, I wanted to become the bowler who took the first over from India since I had watched Zaheer Khan growing up. In the Asia Cup, Mahi bhai asked me to bowl the first over. I ran so hard, away from the huddle thinking that if I give it time he might change his mind," Khaleel added.
Khaleel has represented the Indian team in 11 ODI games so far and has always been in and out of the national squad in which he claimed 15 wickets at an economy of 5.81 and a strike rate of 31. He was one of the contenders for a place in the 2019 ODI World Cup held in England and Wales but failed to secure his place in the squad.
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