Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

‘Learning art of pressure management from seniors’

- Sharad Deep

LUCKNOW: Young Indian seamer Khaleel Ahmed has been fast learning the art of performing under pressure. On Tuesday, he heaved a sigh of relief only after snapping the first two wickets as he was expecting the West Indian batsmen to go after him the same way Indian captain Rohit Sharma attacked visiting bowlers in the second T20I here .

“Yes, I was expecting a run-riot from them also, but I kept my nerves under control and after bagging the first two wickets, I was sure of Team India winning the series,” Rajasthan bowler Khaleel said in the post-match conference.

Khaleel conceded 30 runs in his four-over quota and took two wickets as India beat West Indies by 71 run to take an unassailab­le 2-0 lead in three-match series.

“I always wanted to play for India even when I was young. I have been learning the art of pressure management while sharing the dressing room with all the seniors,”he said. Admiring the stadium and fans’ support for Team India in their first-ever encounter in the City of Nawabs, the 20-year-old praised stand-in skipper Rohit for his swashbuckl­ing unbeaten 111 that took the game away from the West Indies.

“He (Rohit) was superb tonight and he didn’t even care about the big boundaries with his hard-hitting shots,” he said, adding, “It’s always been entertaini­ng to see Rohit batting aggressive­ly.”

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 ?? AFP PHOTO ?? Khaleel Ahmed dismissed West Indian openers to help India register a 71run win on Tuesday.
AFP PHOTO Khaleel Ahmed dismissed West Indian openers to help India register a 71run win on Tuesday.

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