Kohli rested, Rohit named captain for Asia Cup
MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday decided to rest India skipper Virat Kohli while handing over the captaincy to Rohit Sharma for the Asia Cup, scheduled from September 15-28.
In a bid to strengthen the fast bowling unit with a left-arm option, the selectors named Khaleel Ahmed, the 20-year-old pacer from Rajasthan, in the 16-member squad.
“(There are) 2-3 slots (which) we are yet to seal before we pick up the final team for the World Cup. And among those slots, I think (is) one of those seamers’ slot is available,” chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said. “Considering the workload, we have given him (Kohli) rest,” he added. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who missed the Tests against England due to a back injury, returned while Umesh Yadav, who played the ODI series against England in July, was left out. NEW DELHI: Khaleel Ahmed, the surprise pick in India’s Asia Cup squad, almost gave up cricket before entering the teens. The left-arm pacer from Tonk, Rajasthan, however persisted to earn a national call-up.
After a decent showing for India ‘A’ in the tri-series in England (six wickets in three matches) as well as the Quadrangular ‘A’ series at home (seven wickets), the 20-year-old got the nod. “I joined the Tonk Cricket Academy, run by Imtiaz Ali, without informing my parents when I was nine. Though my mother and uncle loved cricket, my father was against it,” said Khaleel over the phone.
Imtiaz gave an insight into the challenges the boy faced. “He stopped coming to the academy after a few days. I met him and Khaleel said he was scolded for joining the academy. I went to his father, who was sceptical about a Tonk boy making it big in cricket. I requested him to let Khaleel play for some time,” he said.
Khaleel has played two firstclass matches, 17 List A and 12 T20s for Rajasthan. He was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2018 for ~3 crore, and was part of the Rishabh Pant-led India team at the 2016 U-19 World Cup.
“I have improved on my swing and pace from the U-19 days. During the last Mushtaq Ali T20, I touched 148 kmph. I have also worked on deliveries that swing late. As the Asia Cup is happening in UAE, it will be a chance to showcase my skills on pitches which do not help a fast bowler,” said Khaleel.
Working with Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid, India A and U-19 coach, has helped Khaleel. “Rahul Dravid is never negative. He always backs a player’s strength and make us understand which can be helpful. I was part of Delhi Daredevils in 2016 and 2017. It was encouraging to work with Zaheer. He helped improve my seam position,” he said.