Fast bowler Awais Ahmad made his wish come true by bowling to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at India's Champions Trophy nets session in Dubai. Ahmad, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, impressed Rohit and Virat by swinging the ball both ways.
A video recently went viral in which Rohit hailed the pacer's abilities. Rohit also stated that Ahmad had purposely targeted his boots with yorkers. Ahmad said he learned how to bowl yorkers from Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has plagued Rohit with this delivery in high-stakes contests.
Ahmad was also part of the Lahore Qalandars in the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL), though he didn't get the opportunity to play.
"When I was bowling, Virat was on strike, and later, he had a brief chat with Rohit. Rohit asked Virat which way I was swinging the ball. I heard Virat Bhai say that I was swinging the ball both ways. After that, he batted perfectly and didn’t make any mistakes in his stroke play,” Ahmad said in an interview with Sports Today.
"After the net session, Rohit appreciated me. I tried to deceive Rohit Bhai with yorkers, similar to how Shaheen Shah Afridi bowls to him. Later, Rohit said that I aimed for his foot, and that gave me confidence,” he added.
India will face Pakistan in the headline match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Ahmed felt honored to get the opportunity to bowl against players of Rohit and Virat's caliber.
"He was definitely practicing with the thought that India would face Pakistan later. People dream of meeting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and I’m lucky that I got to bowl to them. I didn’t feel nervous while bowling today, but when I received the message from Mohit (Raghav) bhai yesterday that I would be bowling to the Indian team, I was both happy and nervous at the same time,” Ahmed added.
India will open its Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
