On the back of his impressive debut series, he earned a call-up for the limited-overs series (ODI and T20I) against the West Indies. The left-arm pacer from the Tonk region in Rajasthan played 4 ODIs against the Caribbean team and bagged 7 wickets at an economy of 5.34. In the three T20Is that he played against the West Indies, Khaleel claimed three wickets.
Since then the 22-year-old has played 11 ODIs and 14 T20Is for India. He has 15 wickets in ODIs and 13 in T20Is under his belt so far.
Interestingly, Khaleel has already played under three captains – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. Though he made his debut in 2018, the youngster got the chance to play under Dhoni. Dhoni, who retired from international cricket recently, captained India against Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup in a match that ended in a tie. This was Dhoni’s 200th ODI as captain.
In an interview with TimesofIndia.com, Khaleel talked about the differences and similarities between Virat and Rohit as captains and more.
“Both Virat bhai and Rohit bhai are different types of captains. Virat bhai is very aggressive. If a batsman hits you for a boundary or six, he will come, show confidence in you and tell you to bowl a bouncer. He will inject energy in you with his aggression. On the other hand, Rohit bhai remains calm. He will come and give you confidence. He will give you the freedom and say you are playing an international match, you know better what to bowl, now go and bowl and dismiss him. I am also aggressive so I love to play under Virat bhai,” Khaleel told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
“The common thing between Rohit bhai and Virat bhai is that they will not force a player to do anything. They will come, guide and ask our opinion and then give inputs,” the 22 year old said.
Australian ‘nightmare’ and Virat Kohli’s support
Playing for the first time in Australian conditions in 2018, Khaleel claimed three wickets in the three-match T20Is against Australia. He dismissed D’Arcy Short twice in the series. An impressive outing earned him a spot in the ODI series as well.
But things didn’t go his way.
He bowled eight overs and was hammered for 55 runs in the opening ODI of the three-match series. After India lost the match by 34 runs, a dejected Khaleel went to the dressing room and sat quietly. But, it was Virat who went to him and motivated the young pacer.
“I was disappointed with my performance. I bowled a couple of no balls in that match. It was the first time when I was playing in Australia and was under pressure. I always learn from my mistakes. I had a couple of bad outings but I learnt a lot from those. I am mature now. Give me any situation or circumstance or condition, I will deliver,” Khaleel told TimesofIndia.com.
“Virat bhai came to me after that match and said “Khallu, bowl the way you do at nets. Don’t take pressure. You will go a long way,”. He has never scolded me or any player. I didn’t perform well and instead of scolding, he boosted my confidence. He is a champion player and that’s how he treats every player in the team,” the left-arm pacer recalled.
“Discipline and consistency are the two major factors for becoming a good player. I am young and have made mistakes but have learnt from those. I learn from every spell I bowled. I always approach my seniors and captain Virat bhai and ask them a lot of questions. They are also happy to guide me. It is so difficult to make it to the Indian team. Since I have got this opportunity, I promise I will give my best every time I will hit the field,” he said.
“In the T20Is, you don’t have to leak runs. That’s it. If you manage to stop a batsman from scoring runs, he will automatically make a mistake and give you a wicket. In ODIs, you have to dismiss a batsman. Because he has time and he will score runs too. I used to come under pressure in the beginning but I am a mature bowler now,” the Rajasthan lad added.
Ravi Shastri’s support and Zaheer Khan’s guidance
Khaleel takes inspiration from former India pacer Zaheer Khan. Whenever in doubt, Zaheer is just a phone call away for Khaleel.
“Zaheer bhai has played a big role in my career. Whenever I am in doubt, I call him. His feedback and answers are very valuable and I follow those. He is a legend of the game. I discuss my problems with him. A couple of bad performances can’t decide my future. I am confident that I will play for India for a long time. That is the ultimate dream,” he said.
“Zaheer bhai was also dropped from the team but when he came, he came back with a bang. No one likes to sit on the bench. When you are dropped and then make a comeback, you are a different person. The hunger to prove yourself increases. I am happy being dropped. This has taught me to be more disciplined and focussed,” Khaleel further told TimesofIndia.com.
“I have worked a lot on my in-swing. You will see my swing magic when I hit the field in the IPL. I am sure this IPL will be a good tournament for me. I want to perform well in the tournament and make it back to the Indian team,” Khaleel, who will be playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2020, said.
The 22-year-old feels Indian Head coach Ravi Shastri is the ‘confidence booster’ of the Indian cricket team.
“If you are at the nets, Ravi sir will be observing you from a distance. You will never get to know about his presence. After the session, he will come to you and will discuss your shortcomings. His words are the motivation and confidence booster for me and every player in the team. He is a motivation for everyone and the confidence booster of Team India. He will inject energy in you with his words. Such a positive and energetic person he is,” Khaleel signed off.
In Video:Virat Kohli very aggressive, Rohit Sharma remains calm: Khaleel Ahmed on captaincy styles
