After a slightly slow start to his international career, Khaleel Ahmed has certainly done his reputation no harm by putting in impressive performances against the Windies in the just-concluded ODI and T20I series.
The Indian management has already said that they are looking at Khaleel as an option for the world cup owing to his left-arm angle, and in many ways, the young man has vindicated the faith.
What stood out in the limited overs was Khaleel's aggression and good control over his variations. He believes that the captains he played under, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, gave him a lot of confidence and this allowed him to express himself better on the field.
'I was nervous to be honest'
"It has been a dream ride by God's grace. I am living a dream, but this wouldn't have been possible without the support of the senior members in the Indian team. Starting from Kohli bhai and Rohit bhai, they have all been very welcoming and made me feel at home from the word go. As a youngster going into the team, I was nervous to be honest, but they gave me the freedom to express myself with the ball," Khaleel was as quoted by Hindustan Times.
The young man also believes that the presence of Dhoni behind the stumps is a great plus to have for any bowler, as he susses the condition pretty well and imparts great tips to work with.
This Indian team places a lot of effort on fairness and Khaleel says that captain Kohli's influence has been immense and he keeps inspiring the side to push themselves on the field.
"I had the privilege of bowling with Mahi bhai behind the wicket. You know what is the best part for a bowler when he is keeping wickets? You don't think about dropped catches and edges going through the gap when he is manning the zone behind the wicket," the young man added.
He also credited bowling coach Bharat Arun for working on specifics which helped him improve all the time during the match. He is part of India's squad for the Australia tour and the left-armer believes that he needs to keep bowling in the right areas and not look too far ahead.
