Khaleel Ahmed, the Delhi Capitals’ pace sensation, has been on a remarkable journey in IPL 2024, showcasing his prowess with 14 wickets in 12 matches. His stellar performances have earned him a coveted spot as a standby player for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, marking a triumphant return to the national squad after his last appearance for India in December 2019.
In a candid conversation during Episode 3 (Season 4) of the DC Podcast, Khaleel opened up about his journey back to the Indian team and shared insights into the high-scoring encounters in the current IPL season.
Expressing his elation, Khaleel remarked, “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 realised 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.”
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Reflecting on the challenges he faced during his hiatus from the national team, Khaleel revealed, “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.”
“๐๐ข๐ฃ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ช ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ด ๐ข๐ข๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข” ๐โค
Watch Khaleel Ahmed’s story behind his IPL success and #T20WorldCup call-up in the latest episode of the #DCPodcast ๐
To watch the full video, head toโฆ pic.twitter.com/m6foCbuQll
โ Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 9, 2024
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Despite the hurdles, Khaleel Ahmed remained unwavering in his dedication to 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,” he shared, highlighting his relentless pursuit of excellence.
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Embracing the challenges of the current cricketing landscape, Khaleel emphasized, “I believe this is the best moment for the fast bowlers to come to light. If a bowler performs in tough situations like these, he will be considered a King, and I want to be that King. So, this is what my mentality has been about the current scenario.”
