"He came to me in the dressing room…"- Khaleel Ahmed recalls Rohit Sharma's kind gesture

Khaleel Ahmed said he has a lot of respect and love for Rohit Sharma.

Indian pacer Khaleel Ahmed has heaped praise on Indian ODI captain Rohit Sharma and said that he has a lot of respect and love for him. The left-arm pacer also recalled a kind gesture by Rohit for him in 2019, when he struggled to perform in a match.

Having retired from T20I and test cricket, Rohit Sharma is only active in ODI cricket for India currently. He called time on his T20I career after India won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024 and then retired from test cricket in May this year.

Notably, Rohit led the team to an ICC title after 11 years by winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 last year. Earlier this year, he led the team to ICC Champions Trophy 2025 title.

Rohit bhai came to me in the dressing room and spoke to me: Khaleel Ahmed

During a recent interview with RevSportz, Khaleel recalled a kind gesture by Rohit for him after a match in 2019. He revealed how Rohit motivated him after a poor game.

“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. The team was leaving the stadium, but he stayed back to talk,” he said.

“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’,” he added.

Khaleel also added that Rohit has motivated Rishabh Pant in a similar way. He also added that he has a lot of respect and love for him.

“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,” he said.

“Recently, I met him at the NCA during the Duleep Trophy. He looked very fit, so I told him to stay like that and keep playing. I have hardly seen such a captain and person in my life. He’s a gem, and I have a lot of respect and love for him,” Khaleel added.

Meanwhile, Khaleel is currently busy with Duleep Trophy 2025-26. He is part of Central Zone team in the domestic tournament. He last played for India in a T20I series against Sri Lanka last year.

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