Fast bowler Avesh Khan was on a song during the IPL's 2021 edition after bagging 14 wickets in 8 matches for his side Delhi Capitals, just before the cash-rich league was suspended due to increasing cases of Covid-19 in the Bio-bubble. Nevertheless, the right-arm pacer had certainly shown enough mettle to knock the doors of the selectors.
Avesh was recently named as one of the standbys for the World Test Championship Final and England Tests scheduled to begin next month. India will first play the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton.
In an exclusive chat with OneCricket, Avesh talked about his future plans, break on the IPL 2021 edition and the priced wickets of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
“It’s a great feeling. For now, the plan is to continue my form that I had in the IPL. I’m not really thinking much and just preparing myself mentally for the upcoming assignments,” Avesh said when asked how felt about the recent achievements.
The Delhi based franchise has senior and experienced fast bowlers of the likes of Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada in the ranks. Mentioning the learnings from the two pacers, the Madhya Pradesh pacer praised both of them and said that they are pretty supportive.
“Ishant Sharma has been very supportive and I have learnt a lot of things from him especially how to use the new ball while Kagiso Rabada has always motivated me and suggests me to do what I have been doing and give my best,” he said.
“It feels good when players of that stature guide and support you,” he added.
When asked about the disappointment due to the suspension of the IPL 2021, especially after the way Avesh had fared in the competition, the 24-year-old suggested that there are few things which can’t be controlled and this was one of them.
“See it’s not in our hands. The situation became bad and then a few players tested positive within the franchise teams so the tournament had to be put on a halt. The things and situations which are not in our hands, we can’t really think about them. I will try to continue the form as and when the tournament resumes.”
Last year, the world came to a standstill after the Covid-19 outburst. This resulted in the country going under a lockdown. Talking about the same, the Madhya Pradesh cricketer explained how he kept himself fit during the challenging times.
“I used to train myself and do a bit of bowling and tried to stay fit. We had to leave for the IPL as well that was held in UAE so we had to keep ourselves fit. No doubt, there were challenges,” Avesh said.
The Delhi Capitals comprise decorated players including coach and two-time World Cup-winning captain Ricky Ponting. Talking about his bonding with Ponting, the right-arm pacer said that he shares a very good understanding with the coach and everyone else.
“I have been associated with the franchise for the last four years now and I share a very good bond with the team management especially with Ricky Ponting. Apart from this, I have been playing with Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw for a very long time now so we do share a good understanding with each other. When you play for a franchise continuously and start doing well for them then expectations do rise,” he added.
Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant was handed the captaincy of the DC unit for this IPL after regular skipper Shreyas Iyer got injured during the England series at home and was ruled out of the tournament. Quizzed about how different are the captaincy styles of the two players, Avesh revealed that there is not much of a difference as both Iyer and Pant back their bowlers a lot.
“There is not much of a difference in the captaincy styles of both Pant and Iyer. The two players back their bowlers always. We have had a good time under Iyer’s leadership as well. The last two seasons have gone well for us while Rishabh has also led the team very efficiently in this edition of the IPL.”
Avesh would probably count himself among one of the luckiest bowlers on the planet right now as he picked up the prized wickets of two of India's most celebrated cricketers, former captain MS Dhoni and current skipper Virat Kohli during the IPL 2021. The former RCB recruit explained that he had a certain plan for both the batsmen and was able to execute it well.
“Obviously I felt really good after dismissing both Dhoni and Kohli. They are the legends of the game,” he said.
“I had a plan for Mahi bhai. We had five players in the circle. Rishabh asked me to not be scared of getting hit for a six and something of similar sorts happened. Dhoni went after me but ended up playing the ball on to his stumps. Similarly, for Kohli I thought that getting the ball into him from outside off stump channel might fetch his wicket and it happened. He chopped that one into the stumps,” Khan explained.
After the England series, Avesh once again has the opportunity to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli. Unable to hold back his excitement, the fast bowler said that he was looking forward to the opportunity. “I have shared the dressing room with Virat during the England series as I was with the team. I am really happy that I’m getting the opportunity again and would try to learn as much as I can from the captain,” he concluded.