"He thrashed me with a belt" - Khaleel Ahmed recalls his father hitting him for playing cricket

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed recently opened up about how his father didn't initially want him to make a career in cricket and would even hit him with a belt if he went out to play.

Khaleel mentioned that his father would get angry at him as he would tend to ignore household work to play cricket when he was young. The talented fast bowler stated that his sisters would treat his wounds and would try to make him understand that he should avoid playing the game.

Speaking to Aakash Chopra on Jio Cinema, Khaleel Ahmed said:

"I have three older sisters, and my father was a compounder in the Tonk district. So when daddy used to go to his job, I had to do things like going to buy groceries, milk, or vegetables. I used to go to play in between, which meant that household work would remain incomplete."

"My mother would complain about it to my father, who would look at me and ask me where I was," he continued. "I used to be on the ground. He used to be very angry because I didn't study or do any work. He thrashed me with a belt, which would leave marks on my body. My sisters would treat those wounds at night."

Khaleel Ahmed will ply trade for the Delhi Capitals (DC) side in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He was impressive in the previous edition, picking up 16 wickets in just 10 matches and will hope to continue his good run as he looks to make a return to the Indian side.

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"My father was a compounder, so he wanted me to become a doctor" - Khaleel Ahmed

Khaleel Ahmed further stated that his father wanted him to work in the medical field as he was a compounder. The 25-year-old pointed out that things changed once he started representing his state Rajasthan in age-group cricket.

He added that his family members started supporting him once they realized that he was performing well for the state team. Elaborating on his early-day struggles, Khaleel said:

"My father was a compounder, so he wanted me to become a doctor, or do something in that field. He just wanted to ensure that I don't face any difficulties in the future. Once I progressed a bit in cricket, he started supporting me. He told me to play cricket and said his pension would take care of me if I failed to make a career out of it.

"The shift happened when I was selected to represent Rajasthan in U14. I picked up around 21 wickets in four matches and also got featured in the newspapers. I gave the allowances that I got to my family, which is when they got emotionally connected after seeing these things."

It is worth mentioning that Khaleel Ahmed's career has been marred by injuries. The bowler had to remain on the sidelines for several months due to his medical condition, and he was also ruled out of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 because of the same.