Haseeb Hameed grateful to Virat Kohli for having spent some time talking to him

One of the talking points of the ongoing India-England Test series has been the emergence of Haseeb Hameed, who has created quite a vibe among both sets of fans for his solid batting and composure at the crease.

It was, then, unfortunate that the 19-year-old right-hander from Bolton will not be taking any more part in the ongoing series, thanks to a broken finger and instead, will look on from the sidelines as his team looks to level the five-match Test series 2-2.

Following India’s win in the Mohali Test last week, Hameed had one of his dreams come true, when the hosts skipper Virat Kohli spent a few minutes, chatting to the 19-year-old post the game and revealing that he was grateful to Kohli for the chat, added that the talk was about mindset and staying positive.

“First and foremost, I am extremely grateful for his time. He is the most sought after man in India if not world cricket. So, to spend time with him after the game was great. It is simply that I appreciate a lot. And one thing that stood out for me was that he plays hard on the field. Which is absolutely how he should be that I see it. Of course, you want to give your all on the field and leave it all there and he does that exactly. He drags along his team with himself which makes him such a good leader.

“Off the field, he is such a humble and sincere guy, down to earth. We spoke a lot about his mind set and what makes him so successful. The message that he gave to me was how positive he is in his thinking. That conversation would help me throughout my career,” Hameed told DNA.

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During the second innings of the Mohali Test, Hameed came out to bat with England five down for 105 despite having a broken finger and made an impressive half-century. Speaking about that knock, the 19-year-old credited his parents for instilling a sense of toughness within him from a young age and added that he wanted to not think too much about the injury and instead focus on what needed to be done.

“I think the reason why people mention my age is of course I am quite young – 19, so I think most, if not all, the credit should go to my family for the qualities that they have instilled in me from a young age. I think a lot of that goes down to my dad especially. He has always brought us up to be tough. I remember him telling me from a young age that you can't be a cricketer until you see blood on your face. He was brought up in days when he had no helmet and still faced very quick bowlers. I had to cope.

“You have got to be mentally tough to react. And if I am perfectly honest, the injury which actually I took in the second Test match in the second innings when I got hit of Mohammad Shami, I think most of the damage was done then (smiles). I knew that it is going to be challenging in the third Test. Again hit in the third Test wasn't ideal, I just had to find the way. The best way to find out was make few visits the nets, take mind away from the finger, try and focus what I can do, give it my best shot which came in the last innings,” he said.

In Hameed’s place, England provided Keaton Jennings an opportunity at the top of the order and he responded by making a half-century in his first Test innings on the opening day of the fourth Test in Mumbai.

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