Pakistan-born net bowler Awais Ahmed has recently gained attention from the cricket world, especially from Indian captain Rohit Sharma, after delivering some impressive yorkers aimed at the batters’ toes.
Rohit praised Awais for his quick deliveries in the nets and jokingly told the young pacer that he was “trying to break his legs.” He said, “You’re a top-class bowler. With your inswinging yorkers, you were trying to break my legs, well done! Thank you for coming here and helping us.”
Rohit also acknowledged another net bowler, Wasim Akram, during a pre-match press conference, mentioning that both bowlers had received positive feedback from the Indian batters. He said, “Both of them were really good bowlers. Our batters said they were excellent. We had some time to chat with them as well, and it was good to meet them. We only saw them for the first time, but both are quality bowlers.”
For Awais and Akram, the experience of bowling to India’s top players, including Rohit and Virat Kohli, was a memorable moment. Awais shared, “Virat and Rohit praised me for bowling the same length as Shaheen Shah Afridi. Kohli was happy with my line and length. My main delivery is an inswinger, but I also managed to beat him with an outswinger and got the new ball to move both ways.”
During an intense net session, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were seen interacting with Awais, adding to the excitement. Awais said, “Many people wanted to meet him, but I felt really lucky to have the opportunity to bowl to him.”
Awais also had the chance to learn from veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, who will lead India’s bowling attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. “I’m happy I learned a lot from Shami. He showed me how to bowl in UAE conditions. He advised me to stick to my natural bowling and gave me the confidence that I’m doing everything perfectly,” Awais said.
Akram, who plays for Alif Pharma in the UAE domestic circuit, bowled to Rohit, Kohli, and Shubman Gill for almost two hours. He described it as a great experience, adding, “It was a fantastic experience to bowl to Shubman Gill, Rohit, and Kohli.”
The duo also bowled to wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who they described as the “toughest” batter they faced during the session.
