The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on Friday, with MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings taking on the defending champions Gujarat Titans in the final. However, fans have already started enjoying the season with pre-tournament videos etc. of their favourite stars like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and to name a few. Meanwhile, India and Delhi Capitals pacer Khaleel Ahmed too is on the players’ list and he recently shared his childhood story.

The pacer, who has played for India in 11 ODIs and 14 T20Is, shared his personal journey, narrating stories from the past when he was just a kid in Rajasthan’s Tonk district as well. During the session, Khaleel also shared some incidents of getting thrashed with a belt by his father for neglecting his studies and playing cricket.

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“I have three older sisters, and my father was a compounder in the Tonk district. So when father used to go for his job, I had to do house chores like get the groceries, milk. However, I used to go to play in between, which meant that household work would remain incomplete. My mother would complain about it to my father, who would look at me and ask me where I was . I used to be on the ground. He used to be very angry because I didn’t study or do any work. He thrashed me with belt too, which would leave marks on my body. My sisters would treat those wounds at night,” Khaleel Ahmed recalled during an interaction with Aakash Chopra on Jio Cinema.

“My father was a compounder, so he wanted me to become a doctor, or do something in that field. He just wanted to ensure that I don’t face any difficulties in the future. Once I progressed a bit in cricket he started supporting me. He told me to play cricket and said his pension would take care of me if I failed to make a career out of it. The shift happened when I was selected to represent Rajasthan in U-14. I picked up around 21 wickets in four matches and also got featured in the newspapers. I gave the allowances that I got to my family, which is when they got emotionally connected after seeing these things,” the Delhi Capitals pacers added.

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Khaleel Ahmed had picked up 16 wickets from 10 matches in the last season. Following the rich outing in IPL, the pacer played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but was forced to sit out during the Ranji Trophy due to an injury.