MS Dhoni's CSK teammate quits County Championship midway due to..., his name is...

MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings teammate and star pacer, who was recently busy playing the ongoing County Championship, had to quit the tournament mid-season, after playing just two first-class matches to Essex. Yes, you guessed it right! He is Khaleel Ahmed, who was signed by Essex but had to quit the County Championship midway due to personal reasons. He was initially signed for a two-month deal, which roughly means six first-class matches in the remainder of the season. Not only this, but he was also in contention to feature in a maximum of 10 List A games in the One Day Cup.

Khaleel Ahmed quits County Championship

On Monday, Essex issued a statement confirming the premature end of Khaleel's campaign. ''Essex Cricket can confirm that Khaleel Ahmed has made the decision to return home for personal reasons and will be ending his time with the Club,'' reads the statement.

''While we are disappointed to see him leave, we fully support Khaleel's decision and are grateful for the contributions he made during his time with us. Everyone at Essex Cricket wishes Khaleel all the very best for the future,'' the statement added.

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Khaleel is not the first Indian player this season who ended their County Championship campaign prematurely. Before him, Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad also cancelled his deal with Yorkshire and withdrew from the final set of the tournament, citing personal reasons earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Khaleel is expected to find a spot in the inter-zonal Duleep Trophy, which will also mark the beginning of India's red-ball domestic season, starting August 28.