Sohaib Khan was the first individual from the UAE camp to rush into the field and hug his mates after an electrifying chase against Canada at Kotla on Friday. It was a battle of two wounded associates, fighting for a place among the winners in Group D. Sohaib’s brave act in the chase of 151 not only rescued the UAE from a middle-order collapse but also fueled their survival in the T20 World Cup 2026 with two crucial points.
Sohaib’s entry lifted the mood of the entire camp as they wanted someone to support set-batter Aryansh Sharma, who was anchoring the chase and nearing his fifty. The former gave a catalytic push to it with a 29-ball 51. Although he couldn’t finish it, he took the team to the gateway to victory.
Sohaib felt homely while thrashing
the Canadian attack, quite literally. His cricketing roots are in the Indian capital. A Jamia Mila Islamia alumnus, Sohaib was a sociology student who also played two consecutive seasons of University-level cricket, representing North Zone. But he sensed the dearth of opportunities going ahead and decided to shift bases to the UAE in 2020.
Sohaib, a Bihar-born, also works as a financial consultant at a stock market company, called Prospero, in Dubai. And like most cricketers from associate nations, he has been juggling roles in personal life. He has had his share of struggles, which keep flashing in front of his eyes. Just like last evening.
“When I came out to bat, that was the situation when I moved to the UAE during the COVID pandemic,” Sohaib said.
“I was not getting many opportunities here. I was married in 2021. My daughter and my wife were there. My parents were there. I thought this is the game – what I can do my best. I have struggled a lot in the past 4-5 years, now if I get this phase then it’s okay – what else can I ask from the God,” he added.
Despite a late arrival in professional cricket, he was never short of confidence in high-pressure moments. The experience gained from tennis-ball cricket and domestic tournaments played a significant role in shaping that self-belief.
“I started professional cricket very late in 2014. But before that, this situation kept coming up in tennis cricket, when we played red tennis. Even I was playing in the North Zone from Jamia.
“So, it was a similar situation. And in the UAE, in domestic cricket, I was familiar with the situation. So, I believed that if we could do it before, we could do it again. Out of 10, you can do it 3-4 times when you believe in yourself,” he said.
An admirer of MS Dhoni, Sohaib credited the former Indian captain for the match-winning 84-run partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Aryansh Sharma.
“The strategy was quite simple. We were requiring around 12 runs per over. As MS Dhoni says, when you are on the pitch and you are under pressure, just back yourself and stay calm. I was thinking the same.”
“After going in, Aryansh was so confident that his positivity was coming to me, that no, we can do it. From every ball, he was like, no, we will do it. We’ll do it,” Sohaib said.
