Irfan Pathan Predicts Khaleel Ahmed’s Rise as India’s Next Left-Arm Bowling Star

Irfan Pathan, former India all-rounder, has expressed his admiration for Arshdeep Singh’s emergence as a top-tier white-ball bowler. Pathan has also identified Khaleel Ahmed as the next prominent left-arm fast bowler, citing his strong performance with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the recent IPL season. Arshdeep has been a crucial part of India’s T20 team for the past two years and played a key role in the 2024 T20 World Cup victory. He is nearing the milestone of 100 wickets in T20Is. Pathan, while speaking on Revsportz, highlighted the key skills for a successful left-arm pacer: consistently bowling at 135-140 kmph, swinging the ball, and delivering effective bouncers, and said that Khaleel Ahmed has all these qualities. Pathan sees Khaleel as a strong contender, having improved his pace, seam position, slow bouncers and fitness. Khaleel last played for India in a T20I against Sri Lanka. Since then, he has developed significantly, becoming CSK’s main wicket-taker in the last IPL season, particularly in powerplay overs. Pathan believes Khaleel, who is 27, is at his best and able to perform in high-pressure situations. Despite Pathan’s backing, Khaleel was not selected for the Asia Cup 2025.