"I feel like I bowl like Shane Warne" - Rehan Ahmed on receiving backing from Ben Stokes
England's 19-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed recently spoke about the unwavering support he has received from Test captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Ahmed mentioned that while he does tend to bowl a loose delivery now and then, the backing from the team management makes him feel as if he is bowling like late Australian spinner Shane Warne.
Speaking to talkSPORT Cricket, Ahmed said:
"I bowl half-trackers probably every over, and I don't feel like I do. I feel like I bowl like Shane Warne. So, it's just the confidence I get given from the changing room and the backing I get makes it so much better."
Rehan Ahmed further stated that Stokes has been a wonderful leader for him and the other two inexperienced spinners, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir.
"Even Stokes, the way he looks after us (spin-bowling group) and the way he talks to us, just about trying to get a wicket every ball and always looking for the next ball, is great," he added.
Expressing his desire to repay the faith shown by Stokes and the team management, Ahmed said:
"When people treat you so well, you want to do as well as you can for them. That's the thing with his dressing room. They've treated me so well; they've looked after all of us."
Rehan Ahmed is part of England's squad for the ongoing five-match Test series against India. He did a decent job in the first two fixtures, bagging eight wickets across four innings.
"I was like, 'are you sure about that?'" - Rehan Ahmed on his conversation with Brendon McCullum following maiden Test call-up
Rehan Ahmed made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2022. Recalling his maiden call-up, he noted that Brendon McCullum informed him about his selection when he was playing in an England Lions game.
The youngster disclosed that he asked McCullum if he was serious about it, given that he had struggled to get going against Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley in the match.
Ahmed recalled:
"We were playing a Lions game at that time. Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley smacked me around. I got hit about 16 in five or six overs, something like that. So, I was like, 'Oh, it's not the best impressing.'. Brendon McCullum came up to me at lunch, saying you got to come with the first team. I was like, 'Are you sure about that? I just got smacked'. But I was the happiest guy in the world. My dad was there as well, with his friends. So, I went to tell them as well."
It is worth mentioning that Rehan Ahmed became England's youngest-ever Test debutant, playing his first Test when he was just 18. He picked up a five-wicket haul in his maiden outing.
India completed a comprehensive 106-run victory over England in the second Test to level the series 1-1. The third contest will take place at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot from February 15 to 19.