Khaleel Ahmed

India hasn't been able to produce a premier left-arm pace bowler since Zaheer Khan. There have been a few candidates to take that place, and one of them is Khaleel Ahmed. He hails from Rajasthan, where at first his parents wanted him to become a doctor and did not support his desire to play cricket. However, he persuaded them and began training with a tennis ball to learn the art of pace bowling. His hard work paid off, and he represented India at the 2016 U-19 World Cup. Although he could not take that many wickets in the tournament, he impressed Rahul Dravid, the then coach of India U-19 and Delhi, which was enough to get a contract from Delhi for the 2016 Indian T20 League. He did not get any games, but training with Zaheer Khan helped him sharpen his skills. Ahmed made his Twenty20 debut for Rajasthan in the 2016–17 Inter-State Twenty20 Tournament. In the same year, he made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy as well. The following season, he played his first List A game. Ahmed had a successful domestic season in 2017-18, which earned him 3 crores at the auction, and he joined Hyderabad for the Indian T20 League. Following his consistent domestic performances, he quickly found himself in the national setup.
Ahmed made his ODI debut in the 2018 Asia Cup against Hong Kong, where he picked up three wickets. In the same year, he played his first T20I against the West Indies at Eden Gardens. However, his breakthrough season came in the 2019 Indian T20 League, where he picked up 19 wickets in nine matches. He suffered a dip in form in the next couple of seasons, was dropped from the Indian team, and could not get many games for Hyderabad as well. In 2022, he was bought back by Delhi and had a successful season, registering 16 wickets in ten games. Ahmed has found his form and will be looking to continue performing on the domestic circuit. He is still very young, and with a little bit of hard work and opportunity, he could be back in the national colors.