Shantakumaran Sreesanth may have hogged all the limelight during India’s crushing win over South Africa in the Johannesburg Test, but his new ball opening partner and the more experienced left-armer Zaheer Khan definitely played a crucial part, with great support from all the other members too. In fact Zaheer was probably the only silver lining for India in the otherwise disastrous one-day series against the Proteas. Making a comeback after a long stint out of the side, Zaheer proved that he was back…better and fitter!!!
True, he was ragged at times too, especially in the slog overs but his overall performance definitely augurs well both for his future and that of Indian cricket. Graeme Smith for one would not like to be reminded of the name. After all, he looked all at sea against the left-armer throughout the one-dayers.
It has been a definite turnaround for someone who was rightly dropped eight months ago after a totally under-par showing against arch-rivals Pakistan. Not only his performance but his fitness and attitude were also questioned. Again there was ample proof that selectors took the right decision. His body weight had increased beyond what you expect from a quickie. It seemed another talent will find its way into the scrapbooks.
Thankfully, Zaheer did not fall by the way side. Like Sourav Ganguly, this protégé of his also decided to go back to the drawing board and start from scratch. As he himself admitted after making a successful comeback that he worked hard and analysed what was going wrong with him. Introspection is the key to improvement and Zaheer proved it with the way he made his comeback.
What he did in between the eight months without doubt has been the key to his success since his return to the international arena. In hindsight, it was a blessing the disguise for Zaheer Khan who would have only dented his confidence had he been in the Indian team despite repeated poor performances. So much international cricket is being played these days (more so by India) that it becomes almost impossible for players to asses their games even with all the modern technology available. At the end, it is all about how well you are doing when you step onto the field. And Zaheer definitely wasn’t doing anything well enough to keep place in the side. There is a hint in here for selectors as to what they should do with the current players in the team who are struggling – Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Sachin Tendulkar too. Zaheer and Sourav are perfect examples that dropping a player doesn’t signify the end of one’s career. Even age cannot be a factor if you are good enough to face the challenges of international cricket.
Zaheer’s successful stint with country side Worcestershire – he picked up 78 wickets - did not earn him an immediate recall but it meant that the selectors had a definite option in case of injury problems or lack of form of other bowlers. The debacle in Kaula Lampur, humiliating one day loss in West Indies and a catastrophic run in Champions Trophy meant the selectors had enough. The media too was constantly highlighting the fact that Zaheer deserved a comeback chance. And so, he was finally on the plane to South Africa. Though his presence could not stop India from yet another embarrassing the loss in the one day series, it did ensure that India had a chance if only the batsmen could get their act right. The batters were only partially successful in the Johannesburg Test, but it was enough for Zaheer and co to put India on the path to victory. In fact, Zaheer’s attitude while batting in the crucial second innings was refreshing to say the least. To bat patiently is not something we associate with Zaheer. But his stint away from the team definitely seems to have taught him to value his wicket more. We all know of his big-hitting prowess so the later part of his batting stint was no surprise at all.
Coming back to his bowling, it was also evident that he had worked hard on the fitness aspect, something for which he had been drawing a lot of flake when not performing well. In fact, many equated his pathetic showing to his bulging waist line! And here’s where the county stint would have definitely helped him. Not only did it help him regain confidence and bowling rhythm but also assisted him in getting back to shape physically.
Zaheer’s cricketing career has been a completely topsy turvy ride so far. He started off by giving up his engineering studies so that he could pursue a career in cricket. Then, he couldn’t find a spot in the Mumbai Ranji team and had to shift to Baroda, better known for producing wicket-keepers like Kiran More and Nayan Mongia. But his impressive performances meant he couldn’t be ignored and finally in 2000, he got his chance to don Indian colours in the Champions Trophy where he was an instant success. His yorker to get rid of Steve Waugh at a crucial stage of the game was one of the defining moments of the series. India went on to beat World Champions Australia. Of course it was Yuvraj Singh’s game, another youngster in his debut series who scored 84 and pulled off the incredible – running out one-day great Michael Bevan. But a fast-bowler starved nation was going ga-ga over the emergence of a possible future bowling star.
Zaheer showed he possessed all the attributes of a good fast bowler during his early days in international cricket. Capable of moving the ball both ways, he could also reverse it at a more than decent pace and soon became the pace spearhead in one-dayers. However, even while doing well in one-dayers, his Test performances weren’t always encouraging. Even so, he did lead India to a victory in the Kandy Test picking seven wickets in the game against Sri Lanka in 2001 but India went on to lose the series 2-1. The big turnaround for Zaheer in the longer version of the game came during the West Indies tour of 2002. India again went on to lose the series 2-1 but Zaheer’s big-hearted performance drew praise from all quarters. He carried on the good performances in England though this time round the batsmen stole all the limelight with some excellent display in alien conditions.
India’s tour of New Zealand prior to the World Cup was catastrophe to say the least. Here again Zaheer, along with Virender Sehwag, were the only one to succeed. Zaheer impressed bowling the right line and length in conditions where the ball was moving like a banana. He even pulled off a win with some intelligent batting in one of the one-dayers at Wellington.
Coming into the biggest competition, India weren’t in the greatest frame of mind. All the hard work of the previous season seemed to have gone down the drain. And it reflected in the first couple of games. But the whole team pulled their act together and Zaheer was consistent for most part of the series though not exceptional. Him sledging Matthew Hayden in the final however backfired big time as the tall, well-build batsman blasted him for 15 runs in the first over and India never managed to pull things back.
The worst phase in Zaheer’s career was yet to come though. A hamstring injury, which every fast bowler dreads but can rarely avoid, meant he was on the sidelines for most part of India’s historic achievements in Australia and Pakistan. And during this period, India found a more than capable replacement in Irfan Pathan. Zaheer did get his deserved comeback chances but struggled and was not quite the same as before. Left with no other option, the selectors felt it was time to shut the door on Zaheer. But, all credit to the man for the way he was fought his way back into the side.
Life has come a full circle for Zaheer Khan. When the Johannesburg team was announced, Zaheer was undoubtedly the first choice while Irfan Pathan was relegated to the benches.
Hopefully for Indian cricket there are no more ugly twists and turns in the Zaheer Khan tale.
