The heat of Maharashtra is searing enough to evaporate the spirits of a wannabe fast bowler. And the pitches, well, they quickly make one lament their decision to be a fast bowler. In truth, it’s the same everywhere in India. Anyone, who overcomes the “heat and pitch” challenge, performs, and puts himself in the reckoning for India call-up is a winner in his own right. But not every winner would end up as a champion like Zaheer Khan.
Although Zaheer’s show was an aberration, to begin with, it was soon reduced to a familiar debacle. Much like the career of other Indian pacemen, the ebb and flow pattern went flat gradually. That Zaheer Khan’s career got plagued by injuries is well-known, but more than that, it is the ill-natured treatment from Greg Chappell which would remain the worst nightmare of his playing days. “You would never play for India till I am in charge of the team,” said Greg Chappell to Zaheer for reasons only he would know. But, eventually, it was an injury and its repercussions that forced him out of the action for nine months.
Zak, who cut short his county stint in England in 2004 due to national duties, resumed his county services in 2006 in a bid to regain his place in the national side. The time he spent with Worcestershire (one of the county clubs in England) helped him understand the science of fast bowling better. With a shortened run-up and much more balanced bowling action, he found the lost rhythm. These adjustments, coupled with a Dukes ball, catapulted him to the top of County Championship Division Two wickets leaderboard. He had 78 scalps to his name in the 16 matches he played for Worcestershire. It is indeed the county association that acted as a springboard for the heights he scaled starting from the fag end of 2006 to his retirement.
With the county success, he was knocking the doors of Indian selectors hard. The doors did open, and soon he was on the flight to South Africa. Although Sreesanth had the lion’s share of success against the Proteas in whites, Zaheer did decently well across the three formats on the 2006-2007 South Africa tour, to tell the world that he has improved as a bowler. Then came the tour of England in 2007 which saw him increase his fast bowling stocks manifold. The English batsmen, who played most of their cricket against a moving Dukes ball, just couldn't surpass the Zaheer Khan challenge. He was creating brilliant angles with the ball that were new and hard to negotiate. By hiding the shiny side of the ball until the last moment, he showed great astuteness in not letting the batsman predict the ball's direction. Such was the impact Zaheer produced by hiding the ball that even James Anderson took notice and started practising the technique later.
When Zaheer looks back at his career, without thinking too much about the injuries sustained, of course, he can take heart from the numbers achieved between 2007-2011. He was right up there in the list of world's best bowlers then; only Dale Steyn had a better strike rate during the five-year period (Test matches). Above all, it is the joint highest wicket-taker tag in the ICC 2011 World Cup that would be the pinnacle of his memory lane trip.
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| Image courtesy: BCCI |
The way he put the horrors of his nervy and iffy first spell of WC 2003 finals to rest by bowling an outstanding first spell in WC 2011 finals, stands as a perfect testament to what experience does to a player. Throughout the tournament, MS Dhoni would promptly turn to Zaheer when the ball gets 32-34 overs old, to exploit the reverse swing: a template which worked wonders for Team India. Not only did Khan reverse the ball, but also the fortunes of India many times. The Andrew Strauss dismissal and the slide that followed, enabling India to salvage a draw from the jaws of defeat in a league match, says it all. Furthermore, the tournament was the point when Zaheer emerged as the first successful exponent of the knuckle-ball. Having picked it up from Charl Langeveldt in Royal Challengers Bangalore camp, Zak was very clear on unleashing it only during the World Cup.
The term “injury” is monotonous in any talk involving Zaheer Khan, as it is difficult as a fan not to consider how his career might have flourished, had he been bestowed with a strong physique. The fitness stranglehold got tighter after the World Cup, and he tapped out in the end. But Zaheer, nonetheless, can stick his chest out like he did everytime in his follow through beating the edge of the batsman. And hold his head high for the top podium finish in Indian pace bowling history.
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