'I will do it - that's what is left' - stronger, fitter Khaleel waits to get back what he lost

Khaleel Ahmed first played for India in September 2018, just months before turning 21. Seven years on, with just 11 ODIs and 18 T20Is to his name, there doesn't seem to be a way back to the national side for him.

He had made a brief comeback to international cricket when he played four T20Is across India's tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in July 2024. But that came after nearly five years out, and he hasn't been picked for India since then.

Those five years included missing almost the entire domestic season in 2022-23 because of hernia surgery. Khaleel was back to playing competitive cricket in IPL 2023, and since 2023-24, his numbers across formats in domestic cricket and the IPL, while not outstanding, have been noteworthy. And he has former India left-arm quicks Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan to thank for it.

"I had to start from zero [after surgery], including learning how to walk," Khaleel told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, where he is part of the Central Zone squad to face North East Zone starting Thursday. "Irfan bhai spent a lot of time with me. He showed me how I can keep my seam upright, and also helped me sharpen my skills.

"He and Zaheer bhai also advised me on how I could do well in red-ball cricket. I am fortunate and grateful to have had them available whenever I wanted to speak to them."

Sixteen of Khaleel's 22 first-class matches have come since the 2023-24 domestic season. That includes touring Australia and England with India A, and representing Essex in county cricket. During this time, Khaleel has bagged 49 wickets at an average of 26.40. In the six games before these, he had only 11 wickets at 46.72.

What's changed? Khaleel says he gave it his all while working on his body and trying to stay fit enough to bowl the long spells, which the format demanded.

"I paid a lot of attention to my fitness," he said. "I also tried to learn some skills - like how to swing the ball late. I was working on ways to be successful. When you play days cricket, there are a lot of little things you need to work on. You need to prepare your body for the test of bowling 20-25 overs in an innings.

"Then there are things like managing travel. As a fast bowler, I have to take care of my body every day - like sleeping on time, and recovery. Distractions can happen, but you have to do all these basic things."

Khaleel played two first-class games for Essex before cutting his stint short owing to personal reasons. But he says even the short stay was important for him to have new experiences and learn new lessons. Khaleel learnt about bowling at grounds with uneven dimensions, bowling on flat pitches, and bowling at grounds where the slope played a role. But, more importantly, he learnt a new trick, something that came out of necessity.

"We were using the Kookaburra ball in England this season, although, generally, it is the Dukes which is used. The ball stopped swinging after 10-15 overs, and the wicket was flat," Khaleel said. "So I had to learn bowling the wobble-seam ball, and how to extract a wicket with it. It was important to gain that experience of playing with a different variety of balls.

"It is these things which make me feel that I'm ready to go. Every fast bowler knows what it feels like bowling at 140kph. I'm getting that feeling as well, and I'm enjoying it. I have also tried not to miss a game for the last two or three years. So now I have that confidence in my body. It feels so good for a fast bowler if he is continuously playing. For me, how I have been managing my body is a big achievement."

Khaleel's success and learnings in the last two years, though, aren't restricted to just first-class cricket. In six IPL seasons from 2018 to 2023, he played 43 games. The most Khaleel played in a single year were his ten games for Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2022.

But since 2024, Khaleel has played 28 matches - 14 each for DC and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who acquired him for INR 4.8 crore - without missing a single one for either team. That is another sign of a body that is learning to put in the hard yards and manage workloads. Khaleel has bowled more than 96 overs in the IPL since 2024, and is among the tournament's top ten wicket-takers with 32 wickets at an average of 28.93 in this period.

Apart from focusing on his fitness, Khaleel, during his two most fruitful IPL seasons, has realised how he needs to think and bowl differently in T20s.

"T20 is so much more about tactics," he said. "The more I've bowled, the more I've learnt about how much the ball is swinging, and what my angles would be. I'm also learning how the batters are trying to play me.

"The bigger the stage, the more fun I have in bowling. I love to do it when no one's believing [in me]. For instance, my job was to swing the ball upfront in Chennai [this year]. But there was hardly any swing available there. So that's the challenge: what do I do in that case, even if I have to bowl only two or three overs?"

Khaleel looks back at these last two years with a lot of satisfaction: he has delivered on big stages and he has kept himself fit. And he is looking ahead to what beckons instead of looking back on the time and opportunities lost.

"I am working with a lot of patience. I am just waiting for my chance," he said. "I have to serve the country. It's very easy for people to forget performances in the IPL, but what you do for the country remains with them for a lifetime.

"I want to be at the international level. I am giving everything I have for that. I don't have any time for anything else. This is my focus right now. I have faced tough times mentally. But now I am in a phase where I am feeling experienced. I feel I will do well in life. As a fast bowler, I am feeling a lot more mature. I'm just waiting for opportunities, and I will do it - that's what is left."