IND vs ZIM: The five-match T20I series between India and Zimbabwe began as the first IND vs ZIM game, which is currently underway at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Saturday. The match started with India winning the toss, and new captain Shubman Gill decided to bowl first. Three players made their debuts in the first game; Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Dhurv Jurel.
It also saw some players make their comebacks for the Indian side after a long time. One such name was Khaleel Ahmed, who was playing a T20I for India after a gap of three years. The left-arm pacer made his T20I debut for India in November 2018 in a match against West Indies at Eden Gardens. The last T20I for Khaleel came in November 2019. It was against Bangladesh at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.
IND vs ZIM: Khaleel Ahmed bags an unwanted record during the 1st T20 vs Zimbabwe
The 26-year-old pacer had to wait a long time to make his comeback for the Indian T20I side. But it was a memorable comeback for him, not because of his performance but because of an all-time record he registered. Khaleel registered his name in the record books.
He is now holding the feat of missing most T20I matches between two games. The last game for Khaleel was in February 2019, and since then, the Indian team have played 104 T20Is. It is now the longest streak for a player to miss matches between two games. Earlier, the record was held by the West Indies’ Devon Thomas (102).
Bangladesh’s Rony Talukdar (100), New Zealand’s Matt Henry (93), and Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan (92) are next on the list. Hence, Khaleel has now missed most matches as a player between his two T20 internationals. The left-arm pacer didn’t enjoy his comeback in the IND vs ZIM game.
He ended with 0/28 in three overs at an economy rate of 9.30. However, the Indian bowlers did well and restricted the hosts to a total of 115/9. Ravi Bishnoi took 4/13, which is his best bowling figure in his T20I career. Washington Sundar also bowled well for 2/11 in his four overs.
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