Indian fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed referred to MS Dhoni as his mentor. In a conversation on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, Khaleel shared that he is very close to the former India captain and sees him as a teacher in international cricket. He also shared several stories about Dhoni and mentioned that he had many unforgettable moments with him.
When asked about a viral photo of MS Dhoni giving him flowers, Khaleel recalled that it happened during the New Zealand tour. Dhoni passed the flowers from his fans to Khaleel, and one of the fans took a picture. Khaleel said this unexpected moment became a special memory in his life.
“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.
The fast bowler shared that his dream since childhood was to bowl the first over for India, inspired by watching Zaheer Khan with the new ball. Khaleel mentioned that MS Dhoni helped him make this dream come true.
“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.
