Haseeb Hameed paid tribute to the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli for inspiring him to revive his career as the England top-order batsman hopes will see him regain his Test place. Hameed signed a new contract with English county side Nottinghamshire on Thursday that is set to keep him with the Midlands club until the end of the 2022 season.

Hameed scored three half-centuries in five Bob Willis Trophy game for Nottinghamshire after moving to Trent Bridge. He left Old Trafford just three years after having an impressive outing for England in India. But the runs dried up to such an extent that in 2018 his average was in single digits. A change of scene, however, means Hameed, is now looking to add to his three Test caps. 

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Talking about the same after his England recall, Hameed said, “Having got a taste of it very young and then those experiences that followed, it has been an absolute rollercoaster but that ambition is still there. I am 23, I will be 24 in a couple of months but I still see myself hopefully playing this game I love for another 12 to 13 years, if not longer.”

Aged just 19, Hameed debuted for Indian with a score of 82 in the second innings against India at Rajkot. Kohli then labeled Hameed a “future star” after he made an unbeaten 59 with a broken finger in Mohali. But the injury only resulted in him witnessing a dramatic dip in form that saw Hameed playing for Lancashire’s second XI.

Describing the same, Haseeb Hameed said, “Obviously for someone like Virat to say that does give you a lot of confidence and he is a massive inspiration for me as it is. I think he is a great inspiration for people to look at and see what you can achieve if you put your mind to it and have a bit of discipline. I have something deep down that won’t let me stop.”

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While Hameed would have never contemplated “waking away from the game”, Hameed said he had doubts.