'My dream has been fulfilled now' - Avesh Khan on receiving maiden call-up for Indian T20I side

Avesh Khan is having a great 2021. The Madhya Pradesh pacer who has been on the sidelines and away from fame for the last few years has had his life turn around completely. On Tuesday, November 9, he received his maiden call-up to the Indian T20 national team. He was rewarded for his excellent performance in the Indian Premier League and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 

The right-arm pacer had first impressed with his performances for India U19 in the World Cup 2016. However, since then, he found it tough to get regular games at any of the franchises in the IPL. But, he was backed by Delhi Capitals for the 2021 season and he ended as the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament. 

The 24-year-old spoke after being selected for the T20I squad for the home series against New Zealand which will start on November 17. So far in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, he has picked up nine wickets in five games. His performances reconfirmed his ability to be a wicket-taking option in T20 cricket. 

Avesh Khan’s father spoke about the coach who spotted his talent

“Every cricketer has a dream that he plays for his country and he works hard to turn this dream into a reality. My dream has been fulfilled now,” Avesh was quoted by Times Of India. In the same report, his father was also quoted sharing his earliest memory of Avesh getting into cricket. “My son first got associated with Indore Colts Cricket Club. Then Amay Khurasiya spotted his talent and took him to his own academy. After that he did not look back,” his father remembered.

As far as Avesh’s numbers in domestic cricket are concerned, the 24-year-old has been among one of the leading pacers in India for the last few years. In 27 first-class matches, he has picked up 100 wickets at an average of 23.42. In T20 cricket, he has 65 wickets in 42 games while also having 10 wickets in 16 List A matches. 

He made his first class debut in 2014 but it took him some time to crack the code of white-ball cricket. It will be interesting to see if he gets a chance to make his international debut in the New Zealand series.