Khaleel Ahmed, the left option

"He is a limited overs bowler. More of a T20 kind. The way he brings down the ball is not really impressive. He is not a classical left-arm pacer. Don't know if he will be successful in red ball cricket," a former cricketer said analysing bowling of Khaleel Ahmed, the latest pace bowling sensation in Indian cricket.

It is possible that had Ahmed heard this analysis, he probably would have got discouraged or even gone into overthinking mode. But not anymore.

The left-arm pacer from the small town of Tonk in Rajasthan, has more or less cemented his place in the Indian ODI side and won the hearts of team management, during the recent ODI series against West Indies. And even more so with his performance in the last two ties in Mumbai (3/13) and Thrivananthapuram (2/29) where India decimated the visiting West Indian batting, winning the five-match series 3-1.

Ever since Zaheer Khan hung up his boots from international cricket — ODIs (2012) and Tests (2014) — India has been on the look out for a left-arm pacer who could fill up the big shoes.

A couple of pacers have auditioned in the past — Saurashtra's Jaydev Unadkat (2013) and Barinder Sran (2016) from Punjab — but none of them have passed the test.

A left-arm pacer is a necessity for captain Virat Kohli to bring variety and balance in his pace bowling unit as the Indian team heads to England for World Cup in 2019, with a major series in Australia in between. And, the Men in Blue appear to have finally found one in Ahmed.

When Zaheer burst onto the international scene during the Champions Trophy in 2000, he possessed all the skills of a pacer, who is required to lead the attack.

He had the pace, swing (both ways), bounce and the deadly yorker which could surprise any batsman. Gradually, he added a few more tricks up his sleeves before finishing his successful international career.

While Ahmed may not be as gifted as Zaheer, but he has his own strengths.

On flat decks, he can be expensive like any other pacer, but being a work horse he puts in all his effort doing everything he is capable off, like using the angles and wrist.

But he becomes a dangerous customer when the conditions are helpful. Ask West Indian right-hand batsman Rowman Powell how Ahmed fooled him by bringing the ball back in sharply that crashed on to his stumps at the Brabourne Stadium earlier this week.

This ball reminded off how Zaheer might have helped him during his stint in the Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils.

"I think I became a better bowler with his (Zaheer's) advice," Ahmed had said off Zaheer ahead of the first ODI against West Indies in Guwahati. "I have spent a lot of time with Zaheer bhai during my two-year stint at the Delhi Daredevils.

"We played in different conditions during IPL and he always kept discussing on how to bowl on different surfaces," added Ahmed, who made a successful India debut against Hong Kong, picking up 3/48 in Asia Cup in Dubai.

India bowling coach Bharat Arun, too, heaped praise on Ahmed after the last ODI. "Khaleel looks a very exciting prospect. He is sharp and hasthe skills to do well in international cricket," Arun said.

Talking about Ahmed, India vice captain Rohit Sharma said, "Khaleel is a promising prospect. With a left-arm seamer, you always have that edge. He is maturing pretty fast."

However, Sharma was cautious about talking about World Cup and Ahmed in the same breath. "The World Cup is still a long way off with lots of games remaining and I wouldn't say spots have been guaranteed to anyone," he said.

However, Sharma added, "I hope he continues to do well. We are playing in New Zealand and then the World Cup in England where the ball swings a lot. He could be quite handy there"

With 11 wickets in six games, Ahmed have had a good start to his international career. It will be interesting to see if he would be successful on the bouncy wickets of Australia and the swing in England.

N-ZONE

11 No of wickets Khaleel Ahmed has taken in six one day internationals

DID YOU KNOW?

Khaleel Ahmed made his international debut in the Asia Cup against Hong Kong with 3/48

KNOW AHMED

• Name: Khaleel Khursheed Ahmed
   
• Born on December 5, 1997 in Tonk Rajasthan
   
• Bowls left-arm pace and is a right hand batsman
   
• Has played just two first-class matches (Wickets: 2), 23 List A Wickets: 39) and 12 T20s (Wickets: 17)
   
• Was part of the India U-19 squad in 2016 World Cup
   
• Was bought for Rs 10 lakh by Delhi Daredevils in 2016 IPL auction