Aman Hakim Khan: All-rounder by accident, match-winner by default

When a teenage Aman Hakim Khan, aiming to be a fast bowler, met with a road accident in a late 2000s winter, his cricket-minded father disciplined him by asking him to carry drinks for his team in the Worli Under-14 tournament the next day.

He was unable to bowl because of injuries in his elbow and thigh. But seeing his team struggle at 50/5 in the first innings, Aman asked his coach, Pravin Amre, to allow him to bat and rescued his team with a 60-run knock. The next innings, Amre promoted him to No.4, and, impressed with his timing, soon made him the team’s opener.

A decade-and-half later, in Ahmedabad in May 2023, Aman found himself in an eerily similar situation for the Delhi Capitals (DC) against the Gujarat Titans (GT). Mohammed Shami sent back the other four of DC's top-five batters, while opener and captain David Warner was run out for two, reducing the visitors to 23/5 inside the powerplay.

The all-rounder, now 26, hadn’t been given a chance to contribute with the ball all season and after a string of not-so-good performances, was lucky to still get a chance to bat. But he came in as if none of that happened, and built two back-to-back 50-plus partnerships with Axar Patel and Ripal Patel, taking Delhi to a respectable 130.

“Nobody gave me any message in that situation because not many teams win from there and 99.9% lose the match,” Aman told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview, organised by FairPlay Sports. “But I just went in and I thought, ‘I am going to take as much time as I want" … So I thought that I just want to bat till the 20th over. Having another 15 overs left, obviously helped because I could take as much time as I wanted. I didn't think about scoring a 50 or winning the game or anything like that. I just stayed in the present and I wanted to bat for 20 overs.”

Aman's 51 off 44 balls included three fours and as many sixes, which were among the cleanest hits seen in all of IPL 2023. His high-back lift and stylish power game proved to be match-winning as DC defended the total in the last over.

Below are the full excerpts from Aman's interview with Sportskeeda, where he talks about how he almost didn't play against the Titans, his trade from the Kolkata Knight Riders to DC, the pressure of being considered a potential Rishabh Pant replacement by Ricky Ponting, his friendship with Shreyas Iyer and more.

Excerpts from Aman Hakim Khan's interview with Sportskeeda

Q. The audience generally doesn't get to know how trades work in the IPL. What communication did you receive from KKR about being traded, or did DC ask you before you were swapped?

Aman: Actually, rumors were going around that the trade is happening but people were telling me that it was not true. I spoke to some media guy in KKR as well and he told me it was not true because even he didn't get any information about it but then, that evening our CEO from KKR, Mr. Venky Mysore, he called me and told me that the trade is happening. And he was really nice to me, explained why the trade happened and what they were looking for, and within a couple of days [it was confirmed], I think it was the last day of the trading window.

Q. How different was the atmosphere at DC from KKR?

Aman: It was quite different. The Delhi Capitals support staff is much bigger. You know, there are a lot of legends in the team. I was excited when I got picked for Delhi Capitals because I was going to play under Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting, and all these people. It was a completely different atmosphere as well. Even after we were losing so many games, it was quite calm and they were backing us all the time. Overall a great experience.

Q. A lot of people know the story behind you going from fast-bowling to opening but how did this switch from opening to finishing happen? Did you like that change? And it must have taken you hours of practice? How did you work for it?

Aman: Firstly, I love batting at any position. All my life, I have been a floater. Wherever the team has required me, I have batted there. Throughout my age group years, I opened the batting for Mumbai. When I was selected for the senior team... Shardul Thakur had to play for India so I was selected for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which we won in 2021. So I was replacing him in the team and he was batting at 6 or 7. We already had players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prithvi Shaw who were batting at the top of the order. So I knew I won't get a chance over there. That's when I started batting at number three and after that, I've been practicing accordingly.

As I said, my batting number has always changed so I've never had a problem if the coach has changed my batting number. Last year, when we played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, there also, I was batting at number three or four but once Shreyas Iyer came back to the team, I again had to bat number 7 for the last six games. So it depends on what the team combination is and I think it's an advantage for the team, you know, you have a batter who can bat anywhere.

Q. Was Andre Russell an early inspiration or someone else?

Aman: Early inspiration was Sachin Tendulkar sir. Even though I was a fast bowler I loved watching him bat. But obviously when I started batting and I became an all-rounder was when I started loving the way Russell used to play. I loved bowling fast and hitting long sixes as well. Around 2017, I started liking him and at that time I used to do what he does in T20 cricket.

Q. So at DC, Ricky Ponting praised you a lot in the pre-season press conference - was that a confidence boost, or did you feel the pressure of filling Rishabh Pant's gap in that middle order?

Aman: There wasn't any pressure of filling Rishabh Pant's shoes because I mean I wasn't looking at it that way. But because he praised me so much, I was firstly overwhelmed; by the things he had to say about me and the fact that he trusted me so much ... and no matter what level you are playing, even if it's a club game today when you go out to play you have little nerves, even the greatest of players have nerves before the match, it's very normal. But yeah, it gave me a lot of confidence. When someone that great backs you, you know that you have the capability, you can go out there and express yourself without any kind of pressure. It becomes easier.

Q. What communication did he have with you at the start of the season and how did he back you throughout - anything that struck you about him?

Aman: The thing that struck me about him is that, as a kid I've seen a lot of games of him and he is one of the greatest players in world cricket but he's so down to earth to all players, not just me. When you talk to him, spend time with him, not once will he make you feel that he has got 70 international hundreds and that he has won three World Cups. That gives you a lot of confidence that you can open up with him, go and speak to him anytime, like family.

The thing that he told me at the start of the season was that he just wanted me to express myself and not have the fear of getting out. He always said that if I can go out there and express myself, I can win matches for Delhi Capitals. Even if I got out playing any shot, he always said, "Next time when you go to the bat, don't think about it because you'll middle the ball and hit it out of the ground". He always wanted me to bat like that. He always backed me but more than that he wanted me to back myself.

Q. Hitting that six off Rashid Khan against GT in the second match? How was that feeling, did it settle your nerves?

Aman: Definitely, Rashid Khan is the best T20 spinner or bowler in the world. That was the first time I was facing him and I wasn't able to pick his deliveries at the start because I was also thinking about a lot of things. But I just tried to stay in the moment and once I got that six I thought, "Now I've hit Rashid Khan for a six, I am someone who can do it. Not many people can do it." It settled my nerves a lot.

Q. Not getting a chance in the next matches, what did you work on behind the scenes?

Aman: Nothing, it was just my normal daily routine because Ricky Ponting spoke to me and [told me] that I was dropped basically because Mitchell Marsh had to go back home for his wedding, and for those few games I wasn't fitting in the team combination [because] Rovman Powell had to come to bat at my position. We decided to get another Indian batsman who played in the top order. So that was all about it. He told me it was nothing to do with my performance so I just kept doing what I was doing and as soon as Mitchell Marsh was back I was back in the team again.

Q. What was the message from the team and what was going on in your mind when you batted against GT the second time? Did the true wicket remind you of Mumbai? And did having time to build the innings help?

Aman: So I wasn't supposed to play that game. Till the morning of the game, I wasn't playing. Mitchell Marsh got unwell and in the morning at about 12-1 pm, Ricky Ponting gave me the message that 'You are playing today' and he asked me to back myself and not think about what happened in the past because two games before that I played a horrible shot and got out against SRH. He again trusted me and gave me that opportunity. We were 23/5 when I went into bat so nobody gave me any message in that situation because not many teams win from there and 99.9 percent lose the match. But I just went in and I thought, "I am going to take as much time as I want" because we were already 23/5, Mohammed Shami has another over left after picking up four wickets.

So I thought that I just want to bat till the 20th over. Having another 15 overs left, obviously helped because I could take my time, I could take as much time as I wanted. I didn't think about scoring a 50 or winning the game or anything like that I just stayed in the present and I wanted to bat throughout 20 overs.

Q. It must have been a good feeling though, scoring a 50 that became match-winning?

Aman: Exactly, I mean, no one expected it. I myself didn't expect that we'll reach a respectable total if not a defendable total. And then our bowlers also did a fantastic job and we won the match. It was a different feeling that I cannot put into words.

Q. Were you okay with not bowling throughout the season? What communication did you receive from the team for that?

Aman: Obviously in practice, I was working very hard with James Hopes and Ajit Agarkar for my bowling because as we know, the Delhi track is very slow and low so they always said that I might be required anytime Mitchell Marsh is not bowling well or if gets hit for runs. So there were a lot of situations where I was going to bowl but last moment it didn't happen. See I want to bowl because I am an all-rounder and I want to play the game as an all-rounder but I mean, on the field, whatever the captain feels is right and in that situation whoever the captain thinks has to bowl, I completely respect that. Let's see next year if I get the opportunity to bowl.

Q. I know it's a difficult question to ask a youngster but what went wrong for Delhi this year?

Aman: I think this is one of those seasons where, I mean, a lot of teams have these seasons: two teams have to finish at the bottom and it was our bad luck that we were that team. Behind the scenes, we did everything. We worked really hard, everyone, the support staff and the players. We were always very positive, went out and gave our 100 percent but sometimes it doesn't work in cricket. I think at the start of the season, our opening wasn't that great and as the season went I felt our middle order failed. But there were positives as well. When we got good wickets to bat on, we won one-sided and batted well on those wickets.

Q. So did the slow Delhi wicket play a role in the bad season?

Aman: We have really good batsmen, who can play really good cricket shots. It gets very difficult when the wicket is very slow and low, especially at that pace and you know against the quality spinners that other teams have. It gets really difficult.

Q. How big of an impact did Rishabh Pant's absence have?

Aman: It was a huge impact obviously. Before the tragic accident he had, he was India's main wicketkeeper and our star player. It gives a lot of boost to the opposite team as well that we are one big player down so they changed their planning against us and they basically had to work less hard to dismiss our team if Rishabh Pant is not there. Obviously, as I said, our middle-order failed. If Rishabh Pant was there, I think he could've played a few innings in the middle-order where we could have won at least three more games and the players could've played around him because he's quite experienced and has done it for DC and India.

Q. How were your interactions with David Warner throughout these months? And how did you find him as the captain when the going got tough for the team?

Aman: He's someone who enjoys the game. He doesn't take too much pressure, just wants to go out there and enjoy the game. He's someone who stays in the present. Off the field as well, we've had some good times, I have gone out on dinners with him and we've spoken a lot. He always tells me to enjoy the game and not take too much pressure. And he understands that there are a lot of expectations but [says] that you don't have to take any pressure.

He also talks about the fear of failure, which is that he never had fear of failure and that's the secret to his success. He's extremely down to earth and he has stayed in touch with me as well. I have had a lot of fun with him, didn't expect him to be like this.

Q. You've previously spoken about your relationship with Shreyas Iyer. How did the friendship start and what does he mean to you?

Aman: So our friendship started when I was 11 years old and I had joined Shivaji Park Gymkhana Academy, not the Club. I was in the Academy for under-19, under-16, and under-14 and that's where I met Shreyas for the first time. We had a lot in common at that time as well. We loved music and we used to talk a lot about music and from there we became really close but we never used to sit together that much. We used to practice together but he was two years older than me so when I was playing under-14, he was playing under-16 and when I was playing under-16, he went to under-19.

But since then we've been really close to each other and he's like a family to me, like a big brother and he has always thought for my good, always guided me, and the most important thing is he's one of those few friends I have who's extremely honest. He has never praised me when I haven't deserved it but always when I've deserved it. He's one of those real friends.

Q. Finally, what lessons have you taken from this season and in what direction are you looking to develop yourself - as a finisher or as a top-order hitter and how?

Once again, I am ready to bat wherever. I love doing both. But I feel that and a lot of coaches and other people have told me that the position that I bat in is the most difficult position because once you clear that level, bowlers don't give you balls [to hit] that easily. I feel that I am going to focus more on that.

In the first IPL that I played, I was again batting at that position but I got out for five runs and that's the only game I got. Second IPL, I played 11 games and that was a big confidence booster for me and I feel I belong here and I got this entire season to see how things are to exactly know what happens out in the middle.

I feel like I am going to work towards turning these opportunities into big performances next year and obviously, I'll try to bring my bowling to a level where I get opportunities to bowl as well as where the management and the captain have faith in me that I can bowl at least three overs.

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Aman Hakim Khan is exclusively represented by FairPlay Sports, a sports marketing agency with offices in Delhi, Noida, Bangalore, and Mumbai.