'It was an amazing feeling to dismiss a world-class batsman like Virat Kohli': Khaleel Ahmed on his favourite IPL 2019 moment

Sunrisers Hyderabad left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has revealed that his favourite moment from the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was when he took the wicket of Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli.

The 22-year-old also said that it was an amazing feeling to get the wicket of a batsman of Virat Kohli's stature.

Khaleel Ahmed was given consistent chances towards the second half of IPL 2019. He repaid the faith shown in him by picking up 19 wickets from just 9 matches. RCB had already lost the wicket of Parthiv Patel in the first over, and Khaleel Ahmed was given the responsibility of bowling the second over.

Virat Kohli hit a four and a six off the first two balls of Khaleel Ahmed's over but the pacer still had a smile on his face. On the fourth ball of the over, he bowled a slower length ball which Kohli tried to attack. However, all he could do was find a thick edge which found the gloves of Wriddhiman Saha.

Speaking of that moment, Khaleel Ahmed told Times of India:

"My favourite IPL moment is Virat bhai’s wicket last season. He had hit me for a four off the first delivery of my over and then he hit me for a six off the very next ball. That was a very good ball and he hit me for a classy six over mid on. I had a big smile on my face."

“I knew he (Virat) would attack. He came forward to hit me, I bowled a length ball and was a bit slow. He got a thick edge and Saha bhai took the catch behind the stumps. It was an amazing feeling to dismiss a world-class batsman like Virat bhai," Khaleel Ahmed further added.

I want to be a major part of the Indian pace department: Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed is hopeful that he will be more consistent this IPL season so that he can get back into the Indian team

Khaleel Ahmed has been in and out of the Indian limited-overs side. At one point, it seemed that he had made a strong case for himself in India's 2019 World Cup squad. However, inconsistency severely plagued his chances.

He is hopeful that he will be more consistent this IPL season so that he could get back into the Indian team.

Khaleel Ahmed said:

“Last season was good for me. I want to repeat the same show this season too. Consistency is very important in cricket and I am learning that art. Consistent performances will open up new opportunities for me in my cricketing career. I want to be a major part of the Indian pace department.”

The 2020 edition of the IPL is set to be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE. How Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling fares will depend a lot on the form of the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Khaleel Ahmed.