“Not my friend…”: Khaleel Ahmed on his connection with MS Dhoni

The left-arm Indian pacer called Dhoni his 'guru' and shared anecdotes about his interactions with the former India captain on and off the field

India pacer Khaleel Ahmed shared about his relationship with legendary India captain MS Dhoni and shared a memorable incident involving him from New Zealand. Khaleel, who made his ODI debut in Asia Cup 2018, played under Dhoni’s captaincy in the match against Afghanistan during the tournament when stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma missed out due to an injury.

It was a special match for Khaleel as he got to open the bowling for India, which was one of his many dreams. 

“Mahi bhai is not my friend, not my elder brother, he is my guru. 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 said in a video posted on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel.

Khaleel further shared an anecdote behind his viral photo with Dhoni. In the photo, the former India captain can be seen giving him flowers. 

“We were in New Zealand, Mahi bhai’s fans had given him flowers, he passed it onto me and some fans took a photo, it was quite memorable for me,” Khaleel said.

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