Asia Cup: Khaleel Ahmed elated over maiden India call-up

20-year-old pacer from Rajasthan, Khaleed Ahmed, who earned his maiden senior team call-up ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE, aims to play for over 10 years for the Indian side.

Speaking to ANI, an elated Ahmed said "Now that I have got selected, I want to play the maximum number of matches for India and not just in the Asia Cup. I want to play for India for at least 10 years and take as many wickets as I can for the team."

The 20-year-old pacer, who played for the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad, said his greatest source of inspiration was his parents and thanked them for their support.

Khaleel will be part of the Indian side that will see star batsman Rohit Sharma leading the campaign, as skipper Virat Kohli has been rested by the selection committee, considering the latter's workload in every format of the game.

The young pacer has played 17 List A matches so far and claimed 28 wickets at an economy rate of 4.74.

The Asia Cup, which features Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and a qualifier, will kick off on September 15 with Bangladesh facing Sri Lanka in the first clash.

India, who will play their opening game on September 18, will face Pakistan on September 19 in a much-anticipated clash.