Zaheer Khan thinks Khaleel Ahmed is a bowler to watch out for

The Indian cricket team is always devoid of bowlers who can clock in the higher 14o kmph range consistently. They are generally known as a spin-friendly nation and there are very few fast bowlers who have gone on to perform consistently well for India at the highest level. However, the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have shown signs of the changing trend. Young bowlers are starting to generate some serious pace that has never been witnessed before in Indian cricket.

Exciting prospect

One such bowler is Khaleel Ahmed. The 20-year-old left-arm seamer grew up in Rajasthan playing tennis ball cricket. He is looking to make a mark in the world of cricket and is more than eager to emulate his idol, Zaheer Khan. Ahmed, son of a compounder, clocked 148 kmph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this season and has since been in the spotlight. The young man credits tennis cricket in helping him to grow as a fast bowler. Bowling on cement pitches has certainly improved his arm rotation.

His exploits also earned Khaleel an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with the Sunrisers Hyderabad for 3 crore rupees. He has previously played for the Daredevils where he worked with his idol Zak.

“I was with Zaheer Khan at Delhi Daredevils. He taught me how to bowl on different pitches, what line and length to bowl to different batsmen. He corrected a lot of technical issues also,” said Ahmed in an interview after a fine spell in the final of the Deodhar Trophy where he was part of the title-winning India B team.

Very promising talent

The Indian legend rates Ahmed highly and believes that he is the one to watch out for.

“He’s a bowler to watch out for. I did work with him closely. He’s a very promising talent but needs to keep working hard. He has the ingredients to develop into a match-winner. It’s now up to him how much he can push himself. There’s no doubt he has the potential but will need to keep learning as he climbs the ladder. Fast bowling is very hard work and I’ve told him so,” Zaheer was quoted as saying by sportstarlive.com.

The young man is blessed and fortunate to have worked under the guidance of Rahul Dravid during the 2016 U19 World Cup in Bangladesh. However, he has a long way to go if he wants to realize his dream of playing for India at the highest level.

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