indian cricket team

CSK Player Joins Essex in County Championship To Push His Case for a India Test Spot

Chandra Moulee Das

Last updated: June 28, 2025

2 min read

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed has joined the Essex side in the ongoing County Championship on an end-of-the-season deal. The news was confirmed via an official post by the Essex Cricket club across their social media handles.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Indian left-arm seamer, Khaleel Ahmed, on a deal until the end of the season ✍️

Welcome Khaleel! 🇮🇳

🦅 #FlyLikeAnEagle pic.twitter.com/DIG5UrD7z5
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) June 28, 2025

The left-handed speedster was recently in England as part of the India A squad that played two unofficial 4-day Tests against the England Lions in the buildup to the ongoing five-match series. Khaleel, who played in the second match against the Lions put up a promising performance with the red-ball, taking a four-wicket haul.

The 27-year-old, who is yet to make his debut in the longest format for India, will now look to use the opportunity with Essex and push his case for a spot in the India Test squad.

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Khaleel at one point was the future of Indian pace attack

Back in 2018, he burst onto the international scene with his ODI and T20I debuts, marking himself as a rising star. However, after fading from national contention for over five years, he revived his career with standout performances in domestic cricket.

His stellar showing in the 2024 Duleep Trophy where he took nine wickets in just two matches earned him a place on India’s shadow tour of Australia last year. There, he picked up two wickets in an unofficial Test.

Earlier in 2024, he was also named a travelling reserve for India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad in the West Indies and the USA.

Given that Khaleel was part of the India A squad on the two recent away tours implies that a series of consistent performances can might just put him in reckoning for a Test debut.

Khaleel Ahmed was one of the few positives for CSK in IPL 2025

In a season where the five-time champions finished at the bottom of the points table, Khaleel Ahmed was one of the few positives for the franchise. He looked dangerous in the powerplay with the new ball and finished the season with 15 wickets from 14 games at an economy of 9.58 and an average of 29.80.

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