It was MS Dhoni who started the gesture of asking the youngest member of the squad to hold the trophy after India's victory. This gesture has been emulated by Virat Kohli and become a sort of tradition for the Indian team.
When India won the Asia Cup 2018, Dhoni asked Rohit Sharma, who captained India in Kohli’s absence, to give newcomer Khaleel Ahmed the opportunity to hold the trophy. Rohit, who considers himself a Dhoni-esque captain, gladly obliged.
"Dhoni bhai asked Rohit Sharma to let me hold the trophy on the dais. He gave me the trophy because I was the youngest member in the team and it was my debut series. It was a memorable experience for me," Khaleel told timesofindia.com.
"When Dhoni bhai and Rohit asked me to hold the winning trophy, I had no words. I became emotional and will never forget that moment," the youngster said.
Khaleel played two matches in the Asia Cup. He made his debut against Hong Kong and claimed three wickets. Khaleel revealed how Dhoni helped him during his debut match.
Hong Kong openers had contructed a 150-run opening stand and were playing the debutant bowler easily. Dhoni then asked Khaleel to maintain his pace and bowl a bit forward.
Khaleel said that he tried it twice and it worked for me. Khaleel finally broke the opening stand as India notched up rest of wickets easily after that.
