Avesh Khan willing to learn through England tour, says will be ready if given a chance
India’s young uncapped pacer Avesh Khan said he is keen to soak in as much as possible during his time with the team through the forthcoming tour of England.
The young speedster hopes to upskill his game and range in the coming months as he will get the chance to train under renowned bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Avesh Khan, who is named among the standbys for India’s long tour of UK, added he will be ready to play if the team management, including skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Bharat Arun, require him at any stage.
“After the Australia triumph, a win in England will be beautiful. I am sure Virat bhai will take India to a series win in England,” Avesh told the Times of India.
India are scheduled to face England in a five-Test series from August. But before that, Kohli and company will take on New Zealand in the final of inaugural World Test Championship in June. Avesh Khan believes the clash against the Black Caps is definitely the one to watch out for.
“It is a big match (India vs NZ WTC final) for us,” he said. “Our team has reached this level after winning a number of matches. We are just one win away from the title. Our team is looking confident and solid and can beat New Zealand. I am confident we will win the title.”
Avesh Khan willing to learn through England tour, says will be ready if given a chance
For the tour of Australia earlier this year, Tamil Nadu left-arm seamer T Natarajan was initially named among the standbys only. But with India suffering multiple injury concerns, Natarajan went on to represent the country across formats Down Under, including a cherished Test debut in Brisbane.
When asked whether he will be ready in case something similar happens in England, Avesh Khan said he will grab his opportunity with both hands. The pacer has 100 first-class wickets to his name from 26 matches at an average of 23.01, featuring 4 five-wicket hauls. Avesh has been on India ‘A’ assignments at home and away and is another talented product of the programme under NCA director Rahul Dravid.
“I am focussed on the England tour now. I have been included in the stand-by players’ list. I am just keen to learn a lot and am not thinking about anything else. If an opportunity comes, I will grab it with both hands,” said Avesh.
“All I want to do is give my best. Be it in the nets or training sessions, I want to be on top of everything. I will be preparing Indian batsmen at the nets. Natarajan went as a net bowler (to Australia) and when he got the opportunity, he delivered. If I am given chances by my captain and coaches, I will be ready,” he added.
Avesh Khan first burst into the limelight via his performances at the 2016 U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, where he played alongside Rishabh Pant. Coincidentally, Pant was Avesh’s captain when he played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the recently suspended IPL 2021, a tournament in which he showed remarkable improvement in his control and consistency.
Avesh Khan claimed 14 wickets from 8 matches before the IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely due to surge of COVID-19 cases inside different teams’ bubbles.
“I have played with Rishabh during the Under-19 days. We are really good friends and have a good understanding between us. Shikhar bhai helped me a lot during the matches. He has taught me how to keep calm in crunch situations. He has motivated me a lot during the tournament (IPL),” he said.
“IPL taught me a lot. Ahead of the IPL, I had worked a lot on my line and length. I had some plans. Those plans worked really well for me in the IPL. Dismissing big players like Faf, Virat bhaiya and Dhoni bhai was a big thing for me. Virat bhaiya’s and Dhoni bhai’s were my two favourite wickets in the IPL (2021). It was a huge learning experience for me,” Avesh concluded.