Khaleel Ahmed has been the shining star for Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League. With his brilliant performances, Khaleel Ahmed has been named in the reserves for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 to be played in the USA and West Indies starting from 2nd June.
Delhi Capitals has been on a roll and needs to win the remaining two matches to stay alive in the IPL 2024. Khaleel Ahmed played a key role in picking wickets in the first six overs and bowled decent lines and lengths, not allowing the batters to score runs freely.
“The way the past few months were going and the way the IPL started, I had the intuition that something good would happen. As the IPL matches progressed, my confidence continued to grow. I realized I was bowling well, and it has always been about moving one step ahead. Finally, when the name came, I was so happy, and it’s a step ahead for me,” Khaleel said while speaking on DC Podcast.
Reflecting on what was a challenging journey, the Delhi Capitals pacer said, “2019 was a long time ago. Every day, at the back of my mind, I missed that feeling of playing for the country. Every time I used to watch India play, I used to imagine what I would have done if I was there in the team. So, every day was like a battle and these kinds of conversations were going on inside my head.”
Khaleel made a conscious effort to play all domestic matches after the last IPL, despite the challenges of being a fast bowler. The DC pacer emphasized the importance of mental strength in his journey, stating that he fought for it day and night, as his life has always been about cricket.
“After the last IPL, I took only a week’s break and embarked on this journey. I made sure I played all the domestic matches. It’s tough as a fast bowler, but I made up my mind that irrespective of what happens to me, I’m going to play all the matches. I pushed myself mentally in the past year and have grown up with it. Mentally, you just have to fight for it, day, night or any time, because my life has always been about cricket. My thoughts have only been about cricket, nothing else bothers me,” he further added.
Performance of Khaleel Ahmed In IPL 2024
Khaleel Ahmed has performed brilliantly for Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL 2024. He has grabbed 14 wickets from 12 matches (12 innings) at an economy of 9.68 runs per over including best figures of 2 for 21 against Chennai Super Kings. He grabbed 2 for 47 in 4 overs against RR on 7th May.
Khaleel Ahmed played a total of 14 T20I matches for Team India with 13 wickets at an economy of 8.82 runs per over. He played his last T20I match on 10th November 2019 and was dropped from the Indian team.
His efforts resulted in a long-awaited return to the Indian team. He along with Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, and Avesh Khan have been awarded reserve place.
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