"Only the IPL should not be his goal" - Gautam Gambhir says Avesh Khan can become an excellent bowler in all 3 formats

Gautam Gambhir believes the Indian Premier League (IPL) should not be Avesh Khan's only goal. He added that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer can excel in all three formats of the game.

Avesh went wicketless in the first T20I against South Africa on Thursday (9 June) as Team India failed to defend a 212-run target. However, he was not too expensive, conceding 35 runs in his four-over spell.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his experience of working with Avesh in IPL 2022. The LSG mentor responded:

"This bowler has a lot of talent, he has pace, a big heart to bowl the difficult overs. But I will want to see him improve further in every match. He is a young bowler, only the IPL should not be his goal, the T20 World Cup is coming ahead."

The former Indian opener feels the Indore-born pacer can reach greater heights if he continues to put in the hard yards. Gambhir elaborated:

"He has the attitude that a fast bowler should have and the most important thing is that he is still young and wants to learn. If he continues to work hard, he can become an excellent bowler, not only in T20s but in all three formats."

Avesh has picked up 100 wickets in the 27 first-class matches he has played to date. However, the pacer is currently only being considered for white-ball cricket and is not part of the Indian squad for the final Test against England.

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"That ability comes with pace" - Gautam Gambhir on Avesh Khan's capability to bowl in all phases of a T20 game

Avesh Khan has played three T20Is for Team India to date [P/C: BCCI]

Gambhir was further asked about Avesh's ability to bowl in all three phases of a T20 game. He observed:

"That ability comes with pace. If you have the pace, then you feel confident in all three phases. We have seen a lot of bowlers who do not have the pace that Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah have, then you have to give them the extra protection."

The LSG mentor was also asked about the internal competition between Avesh and Mohsin Khan during IPL 2022. Gambhir replied:

"It is a good thing if one player pushes the other, then you can bring out a better performance from the other player, which you want. Your squad is a good one when every player is pushed, the other player comes and pushes you and Mohsin Khan did that exceptionally well."

Avesh and Mohsin were LSG's standout bowlers in the recently concluded edition of the IPL. While the former was the franchise's highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps to his name, the left-arm pacer accounted for 14 dismissals in just nine games and was also extremely economical.

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