Khaleel Ahmed Hails Rohit Sharma, Says India Needs Him for 10 More Years

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September 2, 2025 0 340

Rohit Sharma

CSK pacer Khaleel Ahmed praised Rohit Sharma’s leadership and said Indian cricket would benefit if Rohit played for another decade.

Chennai Super Kings pacer Khaleel Ahmed heaped praise on India’s ODI captain Rohit Sharma, calling him a rare leader and inspiration. Ahmed, who has represented India in both ODIs and T20Is, believes Rohit should continue playing for another decade as his presence benefits Indian cricket.

Khaleel, who first played under Rohit’s captaincy during the 2018 Asia Cup, highlighted the skipper’s ability to uplift teammates even during difficult times. He recalled how Rohit once encouraged him after a poor outing, staying back to personally guide him when others had left.

He also noted Rohit’s support towards youngsters, including Rishabh Pant, describing him as someone who consistently backs players through challenges.

“I feel Rohit Sharma should play for the next 10 years for the good of Indian cricket, and that’s my personal feeling,” Khaleel said.

“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. A captain like him, talking to me like that after the match, made me wonder how kind a person he was,” he continued.

“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 CoE 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,” Khaleel added.

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Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is now preparing for India’s ODI tour of Australia in October, which many expect to be his final series.