India vs Windies 2018: IPL Is A Massive Help, Says Khaleel Ahmed After Impressive Start To International Career

Khaleel Ahmed credited the time he spent in the Indian Premier League for becoming a matured cricketer.

As far as playing in IPL is concerned, Khaleel Ahmed has not enjoyed much luck. After impressing in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, he secured a contract from Delhi Daredevils ahead of the 2017 season. However, he didn’t get any chance to showcase his potential on the field, thus warming the bench throughout. But staying with the Daredevils camp helped him learn from the likes of Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan.

He then caught attention after impressing for Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking up 17 wickets from 10 games. Not surprisingly, he caused a bidding war among the franchises during the 2018 auction. Sunrisers Hyderabad eventually bought him for INR 3 crore but he went on to play just one game.

But despite the lack of game time, Khaleel believes two years of sharing the dressing rooms with the stars of the game helped him understand the game better.

“It’s a big help if you are a part of the IPL. You’re already sharing dressing rooms with a lot of international players and hence you’re constantly learning. So, when you come into the Indian team you have already [playing like] a professional. You know how to correct your mistakes, which is why I feel IPL is a massive help,” Khaleel Ahmed said after win over Windies in the second T20I.

In this cricket-obsessed nation one poor performance can make a player public enemy number one. However, Khaleel said he is not under any pressure and is cherishing the opportunity of playing for the country.

“I’m enjoying every moment of it. When I was young, I wanted to play for India. And here today also if I feel the pressure as well then I probably won’t be able to [fulfil my potential]. Now that I’m living my dream, I want to be confident in my bowling and want to do well for India. And when you’re doing well that in turn spurs you on to do even better.”

Coming to the game, India beat Windies by 71 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Asked to bat first, India posted a massive 195 for 2 in the allotted 20 overs. Rohit Sharma (111*) starred with the bat by scoring a sizzling century.

In reply, Windies could only post 124 for 9. The visitors kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Consequently, they never looked in contention to chase down the total. Khaleel Ahmed impressed with the ball by dismissing both Windies’ openers cheaply.