Virender Sehwag
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has heaped praise on Delhi Capitals' pacer Avesh Khan, describing the 24-year-old as an 'under-the-radar' star. Amid names like Kagiso Rabada, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, and Amit Mishra in the Delhi outfit's set-up, Avesh left a mark with his consistency before this year's IPL edition was indefinitely postponed due to growing cases in its bio-bubble.
Avesh picked up 14 wickets in eight games this season and was second in the list of leading wicket-takers, only three plucks behind Purple Cap-holder Harshal Patel. One of Avesh's memorable scalps was Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni.
Trying to pull Avesh's delivery towards the mid-wicket boundary, Dhoni was bowled off an inside edge in the DC-CSK tie last month.
"In this team, we talk about Rabada, Ashwin, Patel, Mishra but no one talks about Avesh Khan. He is this season's under-the-radar player. He comes quietly, picks up 2-3 wickets, and was [up there in the race for Purple Cap], next only to Harshal Patel," Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Avesh, who picked a three-wicket haul twice and had a breakthrough season with Delhi, was also lauded by Pommie Mbangwa. The former Zimbabwe player feels Avesh deserves a lot more credit for being effective at the front as well as at the end.
"No doubt, it's Avesh Khan. I don't think there's been too much said about him, or written about him. But he's just gone about doing his job efficiently. He's been effective at the front and at the end.
"He's taken wickets in all three phases of the game and at the death too, he has been very good bowling nice lengths, changing his pace when needed to and bowling good yorkers at the back end too," Mbangwa said.
