Khaleel Ahmed Opens Up About Long-Awaited Return To India Colours

Delhi Capitals' pacer Khaleel Ahmed is enjoying a splendid run in the IPL 2024, having picked up 14 wickets in 12 matches thus far. The left-arm pacer, who last played for India in December 2019, has made a well-deserved return to the national team, earning a spot as a standby for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Khaleel poured his heart out during Episode 3 (Season 4) of the DC Podcast. He spoke at length about his journey to earn a place back in the Indian team and shared his thoughts on the high-scoring matches in the ongoing IPL season.

India call-up - Khaleel saw it coming

The 26-year-old pacer stated on DC Podcast, "The way the past few months were going and the way the IPL started, I had the intuition that something good would happen. As the IPL matches progressed, my confidence continued to grow. I realised I was bowling well, and it has always been about moving one step ahead. Finally, when the name came, I was so happy, and it's a step ahead for me."

Every day was like a battle

Reflecting on what was a challenging journey, the Delhi Capitals pacer said, "2019 was a long time ago. Every day, at the back of my mind, I missed that feeling of playing for the country. Every time I used to watch India play, I used to imagine what I would have done if I was there in the team. So, every day was like a battle and these kinds of conversations were going on inside my head."

"After the last IPL, I took only a week's break and embarked on this journey. I made sure I played all the domestic matches. It's tough as a fast bowler, but I made up my mind that irrespective of what happens to me, I'm going to play all the matches. I pushed myself mentally in the past year and have grown with it. Mentally, you just have to