Krunal Pandya, Khaleel Ahmed make debut in T20I for India on Sunday. (Source: BCCI Twitter)
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed received their maiden T20I cap on Sunday as they made their debut for India in the first T20I against West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Elder brother of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Krunal was part of the squad for the three T20I series in England but did not get a game. The 27-year old was named in the XII after consistent performances for Mumbai Indians, Baroda and India A in the last three years.
After grabbing headlines during Asia Cup, Khaleel ended the ODI series against West Indies as the third-highest wicket-taker with seven wickets in four matches. The 20-year was only behind spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in the list.
It’s a proud moment for @krunalpandya24 and Khaleel Ahmed as they are all set to make their T20I debut for #TeamIndia ???? pic.twitter.com/l4Ovn8u5eC
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 4, 2018
Debut today for Khaleel Ahmed. How things change. Only got a game in the IPL and now playing for India. Good on him. Also debut, much deserved, for Krunal Pandya, one of only two (maybe three with Gowtham) Indian all-rounders (with brother Hardik) in the IPL.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 4, 2018
India XII:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, K.L. Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Yuzvendra Chahal.