How often does the captain of the opposition, also the best batter in the world at the time, make the effort to meet a 19-year-old on his first tour, whose interest in a five-Test series is over after the third game due to a broken finger?
Welcome to the world of Haseeb Hameed, a world he insists has been enriched by his fairytale relationship with Virat Kohli.
Nicknamed ‘Baby Boycott’ for his technical expertise and becoming the first Lancastrian to open for his country since Mike Atherton (in 1989), Hameed came to the land of his parents with Alastair Cook’s England in 2016, hoping to make a name for himself. Efforts of 31 and 82 on a flatbed on debut in Rajkot were followed by 13 and 25 in Visakhapatnam. Then, Mohali beckoned a determined Hameed.
Within ten overs of the start, his tour was practically over. Off the last ball of the tenth over, Umesh Yadav produced a spiteful snorter from a good length that pinged the right-hander on his left glove and lobbed to Ajinkya Rahane at gully. X-rays revealed a broken little finger, but that didn’t prevent Hameed from walking out at No. 8 in the second innings, helping his side avoid an innings loss and hold out for nearly three hours while making an unbeaten 59. It couldn’t prevent England from sliding to an eight-wicket loss, but it did earn him the respect of the cricketing world. And Kohli, specifically.
At the end of the Test, with his cricketing world crumbling around him, Hameed was lifted by Kohli’s voluntary show of support, commiseration and empathy. It was the start of a relationship that has endured time, and which has helped Hameed tide over trying circumstances – the loss of his Lancashire contract after the 2019 season when he averaged just 9.44, omission from the England team after a disastrous Ashes tour in 2021-22 following scores of 6, 0, 0, 7, 6 and 9 in his last three Tests.
Hameed was only 24 then and could easily have lost his way. To his credit, he has reinvented himself at Nottinghamshire, with whom he is in his sixth season, the last two as captain. Last season, he made 1,091 county runs in Division 1. This year, after nine games, he has 848 runs at 70.66; as importantly, he has muscled his side to within one point of leaders Surrey, the defending champions.
During his darkest period, Hameed tells Hindustan Times, Kohli’s inspirational presence has been an immense driving force. “Virat’s been super helpful,” Hameed reveals during a late-evening conversation, dressed casually and blending in like any 28-year-old would. “Every time I’ve had any sort of query about batting, he’s been more than willing to give his time. And it’s not just a short period of time. He’s happy to go as long as we need. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, always had. In terms of what he’s done for me as a person, as a player, through my difficult moments, it speaks a lot about him as a character, his humility and the way he goes about things.
“Hashim Amla has been really helpful as well,” Hameed continues, referencing the South African great. “These are guys I love talking batting to because they’re both incredible players, but also understand the game. They make it very human, despite the fact that they’re both incredible players. Sometimes it feels like it’s hard to connect with someone that’s reached those heights, but they bring it down to the very basic elements of the game.”
Elaborating on the Kohli bond, Hameed observes, “On that first tour (in 2016), when I had my injury, he was kind enough to spare me a few moments. He shared his number with me and said, ‘If ever you want to reach out, please feel free to do so’. That just speaks to what an incredible person (he is). He’s probably the biggest superstar in the game, maybe ever, if you look at his social media following. For him to be so willing to give his time and personal space — he didn’t need to do that. I was a young kid, 19 years old. But the fact that he was so willing and able to do it is testament to his character.”
Hameed smiles when you ask him what the speed of Kohli’s response to his requests are. “I’ll say it like this,” he breaks into a broad grin, “he’s much better than a few other players in responding, especially for the calibre of person and player that he is. You’d think that he’s super busy, right? I’m sure it takes a little bit of effort for him to reach back and reply to someone like me. But he’s always been willing to do that; hopefully, that continues.”
Another Indian who has inspired Hameed – who spent time in Bengaluru over the winter working on his batting — with his stirring comeback journey is Karun Nair. “Being in Bangalore a little bit, I had a couple of conversations with a few people there around how he got dropped from the Karnataka side and had to move to Vidarbha,” Hameed points out. “Since then, he’s had incredible success. He’s come over to England and played county cricket for Northants, he’s had success here as well, a great journey. It’s hugely inspiring for anyone. He had incredible success on my first tour in Chennai (303 not out) and then has had his downs.
“Everyone has their own path to wherever they’re destined to get to. For him right now, it’s playing in an India shirt, batting at No. 3, which is amazing. This idea of never giving up and never losing faith in your dreams is one that rings real for him.”
Hameed brushes off suggestions that, at 19, his Test debut came too early. “I wouldn’t change it for anything,” he insists, with feeling. “As a 17-18-year-old when I first signed professionally, whenever I got asked about my ambitions, I was very open to say it was to play for England. For some players at the age of 17-18, that’s not very natural to say but for me that was very natural. Looking back in hindsight, there are certain things that you might think if only that would have been different. But I tend not to look at things like that. I accept things for what they are.
“I was 24 by the time I played my 10 Test matches and all against India and Australia, seven of them away from home. I don’t think it gets too much tougher than that. I feel like I’ve had one really bad, tough tour in international cricket in Australia, but in the Ashes. So, it’s magnified. But the six Test matches in the lead-up to that went okay, against India at home and away, in challenging conditions and circumstances.
“What this current leadership (Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum) has shown is to select players even though they might have had a bad tour. Sometimes, you see the results of that.”