Twitterati excited to see left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed feature in the India squad for Asia Cup

The phase of Indian fast bowling has been changing rapidly and the new line of pacers don’t just have the ability to swing the ball but also clock high on the speed gun regularly. One such prime young talent is Rajasthan’s Khaleel Ahmed, who made his way into the Indian side for the first time. The selectors bestowed him with a place in the side for the upcoming Asia Cup 2018.

Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian side in the absence of Virat Kohli, who has been rested. Apart from Kohli, no other senior players have been rested for the tournament and defending champions are pretty much sending a full-strength squad. Ambati Rayudu who missed out on the tour of England due to the yo-yo test also received a call-back after a string of good scores for India B.

Khaleel Ahmed bagged a sensational IPL contract with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, going for a whopping Rs. 3 Crore in the auction. Although he played just one game against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the second qualifier, he impressed everyone with the pace he was able to generate nonchalantly.

Impressive domestic performances pay off for Khaleel

The 20-year-old had an impressive domestic season with Rajasthan, and thus he earned various promotions. After bagging a brilliant IPL contract, he also made it into the India A side where he recorded some stunning spells.

In the recently concluded Quadrangular series which included India A, India B, Australia A and South Africa A sides, Khaleel registered 7 wickets in 4 games at an eye-catching economy rate of 4.38. He has represented Rajasthan in 12 first-class games and 17 List A affairs, registering 45 wickets collectively.

The young left-arm seamer first came into limelight in the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, where he played a crucial part for the Indian team that went into the final. He also was an integral part of the Rajasthan contingent which reached the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final this year, where he picked a brace and was his side’s best bowler.

A new opportunity has knocked on his door, an opportunity every cricketer dreams of. Although there are some senior fast bowlers, he might get an opportunity in one of the games to showcase his talent.

Here’s how Twitterati reacted to Khaleel’s inclusion in the Indian side:

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