Avesh Khan has been selected as a net bowler in the Indian squad for the long tour of England where they will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship final and hosts England in a five-match Test series.
Looking at the length of the tour, Avesh Khan is not really giving hopes of earning an India cap in case someone front the main squad gets injured. Although he recognises the slim chances he has to make it to the India Test side, he is looking forward to making the most of the opportunity to bowl against Indian batsmen, which he says has helped me a great deal over the last few years.
“The experience I had been a net bowler with the Indian team over the last three years has really helped in my growth. I know there is a very slim chance of me playing but I know I have to be ready if someone gets injured. Can’t stop learning,” Avesh Khan told Times of India.
The Covid-19 pandemic hurt the Indian domestic cricket in a big way and Avesh’s continuous upward journey in the Ranji Trophy hit a speed breaker. However, he made good use of the break and focussed on fitness and losing weight in order to be in perfect shape come the 14th edition of the IPL.
“Playing first-class matches helps you getting into a rhythm. I realized I had to shed weight after the last IPL. I needed to work really hard on my fitness to bowl well consistently in this year’s IPL,” Avesh Khan added.
To lose weight, he had to give up on eating Biryani though, which he said was the toughest part of the weight loss exercise.
Avesh Khan burst on to the scenes from the ICC U19 World Cup in 2016 and his performance in the abruptly ended IPL was impressive. He picked up 14 wickets from eight matches with an impressive average of 27.89 and strike rate of 18.94.