Rahul Dravid turned my career around : Team India's new pacer Khaleel Ahmed
New Delhi : Khaleel Ahmed is the sole surprise in the 16-member squad announced by India for the upcoming Asia Cup in UAE and the left-arm pacer wants to thank Rahul Dravid for being the perfect guide in his career. Having started off under Dravid’s guidance at the U-19 level, Khaleel now wants to emulate his idol Zaheer Khan and win India games with his bowling performances.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Khaleel said that he almost had a nervous breakdown when he was told that he has been picked for the multi-nation tournament in UAE.
“I am literally shivering right now. I cannot believe that I am part of the Indian team. This is like a dream come true for me. I have been doing well and that has been my focus. Every player wants to represent the country when he starts playing the game and I am no different. But I must thank Dravid sir for being there and turning me around from a nervous starter to a confident bowler,” he said.
Asked about Dravid’s influence in his career, Khaleel said: “I cannot thank him enough. When I started off at the U-19 level, I would be nervous to start with and would often make silly mistakes in the process. But under his guidance, I gained in confidence and I can confidently say that he has had a big role in my growth as a cricketer.
“The best part with Dravid sir is that he gives you that freedom to go out and express yourself. He would tell me that the best way to learn is in the middle and one should never shy away from trying new things. He has had a huge impact on how my career shaped up.”
Picked in the squad for the Asia Cup, Khaleel now wishes to emulate his hero Zaheer Khan. “I grew up idolising him and if you ask me, I wish to bowl like him and win India games. Even if I can get close to his achievements for the country, that will be a big feat for me. But I don’t wish to get carried away and want to make steady progress.”
His U-19 teammate Rishabh Pant has already played for India in both the shorter and longer format and Khaleel too wishes to cement his place in the team. “It feels really good when I see Rishabh playing for the country and hopefully I can also cement my place in the team with consistent performances,” he smiled.
While Khaleel played for India at the U-19 level, his experience in the IPL helped him learn more about performing at the highest level. “I was a bit nervous to start with, but then, I realised that it was all about being confident of your own game. Also, the experience of travelling and preparing along with international stars helped me learn more about how one prepares for big games,” he said.
Virat Kohli has made no bones about the fact that India needs quality left-arm pacers and Khaleel says even though he also liked batting to start with, lack of quality bowlers saw him turn to bowling.
“I also loved to bat as a kid, but then, when I realized that you cannot have 11 batsmen in the team and need bowlers to pick wickets, I turned to bowling. I have been running in hard and looking to pick wickets ever since,” he signed off.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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Party remains robust, will bounce back, says DMK
Chennai (PTI): Dismissing the shock defeat in the Assembly election as nothing unusual in a democracy, the DMK on Wednesday said it has seen several ups and downs in its long history and asserted that the party workers and office-bearers continue to be energetic and are committed to continuing the good work for people's welfare.
Tracing the party's chequered history, DMK Organisation Secretary RS Bharathi said in 1991 Assembly polls, only the party's late patriarch M Karunanidhi and Parithi Ilamvazhuthi won from Harbour and Egmore segments respectively out of the 234 constituencies in the state.
"So, who can forget 1991? That year we lost. But we bounced back and formed the government in 1996. In our long history of over 7 decades we have seen lots of ups and downs and party workers show determination and continue the good work even when out of power," the DMK leader told PTI.
He said the difference in vote share between his party (24.19 per cent) and the "winning party" (34.92 per cent) is not "very wide."
Bharathi expressed confidence about the party bouncing back and once again emerging victorious.
He and others cited the message of DMK President M K Stalin, thanking the people and asserting that ideology was important rather than victories and defeats alone.
On May 4, the DMK chief asserted that he had seen in his public life, lot of victories and defeats as well. Hence, it is the goal and ideology that was paramount and not merely electoral victories and defeats.
The DMK, which worked efficiently as the ruling party, would from now on work effectively as the main opposition party.
He had further said: "I was truthful to all sections of people; I acted as per conscience, worked beyond my capacity."
Stalin said: "I bow to people's verdict, DMK worked well as ruling party, from now on will be good opposition party. DMK's political journey will continue without any slackness."
When votes were counted on May 4, actor-politician Vijay's TVK created a record of sorts in the electoral history of Tamil Nadu and emerged as the single largest party by delivering a shock defeat to incumbent DMK and its president, Chief Minister Stalin in his Kolathur constituency, while the AIADMK was pushed to a distant third spot.
Vijay and TVK have many firsts to their credit and the party founder will be the first person from a minority religion -Christianity- to helm the state. The assembly election was held on April 23 in Tamil Nadu.
கழகத் தலைவர் மு.க.ஸ்டாலின் அவர்களின் அறிக்கை
— DMK (@arivalayam) May 5, 2026
நடந்து முடிந்த தமிழ்நாடு சட்டமன்றப் பொதுத் தேர்தலில் திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகத்தின் தலைமையிலான மதச்சார்பற்ற முற்போக்குக் கூட்டணிக் கட்சியின் வேட்பாளர்களுக்கு வாக்களித்த தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்கள் அனைவருக்கும் எனது மனமார்ந்த நன்றியை உண்மை… pic.twitter.com/LQtrACGK0z
