BANGALORE: When birthday boy Zaheer Khan walked into the hotel lobby on Friday after taking his initial steps towards rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, he immediately set the hearts of a few pretty faces aflutter.
India, too, are hoping their injured pace spearhead will send shivers down the spines of opposition batsmen sooner than later. The 33-year-old spoke to TOI on a range of issues.
Excerpts:
What does it take to be a fast bowler in India?
It's not a natural thing. Indian bodies are not designed to bowl fast but that said, it's not very different from bowling outside India. Basically you have to spend a lot of time understanding yourself, your art, and then find out what works for you and what doesn't. It also involves a lot of hard work.
How hard is it to lead an Indian attack?
I enjoy playing at the highest level. That's my biggest motivation. The additional responsibility that I have only makes me more motivated to think not just about my game only but also the other bowlers. I like to give them the right advice, talk about what works at the highest level, how you can plan to get batsmen out. There are various components to this which I share with my colleagues.
What do you think of the fast bowling talent in India?
We've got plenty of talent coming. We've produced good bowlers in the past and I see a lot of youngsters coming, which is promising. You see someone like Ishant (Sharma), who came in so early, and he's now taking responsibility, that's great.
Why do Indian bowlers come into the side bowling close to 140kph, and then end up closer to 130kph?
I don't think it's the pressure of international cricket. It's about trying to adapt to the international level, where the room for error is less. You can't always do at the international level what you do at domestic level. You need to understand your bowling style and work on fitness that much more. The bottom line is as long you are able to produce results, it is fine. I also dropped pace, so basically it's important to know what works for you at the international level and put that into practice.
Do you agree that there is too much chopping and changing by the selectors, especially when it comes to pacers?
Not really, it's all part of the game. Injuries have also played a crucial part. Again, you see a lot of bowlers are coming up. It's about who grabs the opportunity.
County cricket helped you. Would you recommend it to fellow quicks?
The bottom line is match practice. Experience is something which is valued and you gain that by playing matches. No matter how hard you try at the nets, the match scenario is completely different. As for county cricket, their season is the off season in India, that's why I would recommend it, but again the bottom line is more matches, wherever you play.
Injuries to hamstring, groin, ankle and shoulder - how do you cope?
Not really. Injuries are part and parcel of fast bowling. One just has to deal with it, control the controllables and be patient. The key is to make sure you come back stronger every time.
How's the treatment coming along and when do you expect to take the field again?
It's been good. I had an ankle surgery and all I can say at this point is that things are looking good. Progress has been slow but I'm not putting too much pressure on myself. I'm also not putting a timeline to my return. I did bowl from two steps today, and it felt really good.
How frustrating was it to get injured in the first Test in England?
It happens. I wanted to play badly but what can one do. I was 100% fit when I landed in England and didn't rush my return in any way but picked up another injury. That's the way the game goes.
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