IND vs SA | He's got the heart to bowl the difficult overs: Gautam Gambhir

In the first T20I of the three-match series, where over 400 runs were scored, Avesh Khan bowled well, conceding 35 runs in his four overs. He went for 15 runs in his first over as Proteas openers Temba Bavuma, and Quinton De Kock took him on. However, the pacer made a good comeback in his next three overs, conceding only 20 runs. 

He created an opportunity for the wicket when middle-order batter Rassie Van der Dussen slogged a length ball straight to Shreyas Iyer, who was standing at the deep midwicket region. 

Still, unfortunately for Avesh and India, Iyer couldn't hold on to the catch and ended up dropping him on 29. Rassie made them pay the hefty price as he remained unbeaten on 75 off 46 balls to guide his team to victory.

During a discussion on Star Sports, the former vice-captain of the Indian team said that the Madhya Pradesh pacer has a lot of talent and a big heart to bowl the tricky overs for his team.

Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir worked with Avesh during the recently concluded IPL 2022. After another successful season in the cash-rich league, Gambhir wants Avesh to aim for a place in India's T20 World Cup squad.

"This bowler has a lot of talent. He has pace and a big heart to bowl the difficult overs. But I will want to see him improve further in every match. He is a young bowler. Only the IPL should not be his goal. The T20 World Cup is coming ahead," said Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir also revealed how the presence of inform Mohsin Khan in the Lucknow Super Giants team pushed Avesh to perform well. 

"It is a good thing if one player pushes the other, then you can bring out a better performance from the other player, which you want. Your squad is a good one when every player is pushed, the other player comes and pushes you, and Mohsin Khan did that exceptionally well," 

The LSG mentor believes that if Avesh stays fit, then he'll become an "excellent bowler" in all three formats of the game.

"He has the attitude that a fast bowler should have, and the most important thing is that he is still young and wants to learn. If he continues to work hard, he can become an excellent bowler, not only in T20s but in all three formats," Gambhir added.

The IPL-winning captain further explained how raw pace could make a fast bowler feel confident to bowl in any phase of the T20 game.

"That ability comes with pace. If you have the pace, then you feel confident in all three phases. But, we have seen a lot of bowlers who do not have the pace that Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, and Jasprit Bumrah have, then you have to give them the extra protection," Gambhir concluded.