Zaheer Khan takes retirement
Zaheer Khan spoke to a long list of teammates and coaches before firming up his decision to retire. He had a word with Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath, all new-ball partners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, both spinners, Sudhir Naik and T.A. Sekhar among coaches, his parents, and Sachin Tendulkar.
“Before arriving at the decision, I wanted to have clarity on my fitness,” Zaheer told The Hindu. “I was keen to know Sachin’s thoughts. It was a long chat, we ended up going back in time.”
The common theme in each of the left-arm seamer’s conversations was the joy of the journey. “For me it was about enjoying the game on the field. Cricket gave me a high that nothing could match,” said Zaheer, retiring from international cricket after 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is. “India becoming the No. 1 Test team delighted me. Winning the World Cup was special,” he added.
Asked about bringing an end to his illustrious Test career before the 100-Test milestone, he replied: “I don’t follow numbers, it is about how my body feels. Till last week, I thought I can come back and communicated my availability [to the Mumbai Cricket Association]. The decision was taken in the post-Id period when I celebrated my birthday (37th). ”
Excerpts:
You were known as an aggressive bowler in an Indian team which learnt to deal with aggression. Your way was to let the ball speak. What is your view on aggression we see now?
Aggression should work to your advantage; then it makes sense. Aggression does not always mean words to provoke opponents. There are different ways to do it. If you are getting worked up doing it, then aggression does not help. Each player reacts differently, so you need to know how a targeted opponent will react. Some batsmen get affected with a few words. With others even a chat would make no impression. The bottom line is to be aggressive as long as it is working to your advantage. Otherwise leave it out.
Looking back at 2011 World Cup victory, would you attribute it to systematic preparation under Gary Kirsten or the mentality of the group?
The 2011 World Cup win happened due to a combination of factors. Gary Kirsten of course prepared the team well. The side was a group of players who knew what their roles were, so it became easy for the captain to explain. The main players had been together for a long time. For me, bowling those early overs, the performances right up to the final, the whole experience was amazing. No one really knew if it was my last World Cup. Then I had the 2003 World Cup demons to kill.
The 2015 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand saw India’s fast bowling unit take every opponent team by surprise. To what would you attribute this forceful display?
The conditions were helpful for fast bowling. I would put it down to proper preparation. The bowlers were ready for the task and used the conditions well.
Bowling in all three formats is tough on fast bowlers. The frequency and intensity is different from before. What is your view of the challenge?
I enjoyed all three formats. In fact, I became better when I bowled more. The challenge for a bowler is to come back after an injury. The bowling muscles tend to get affected and getting the conditioning to the state before injury takes time. The phrase ‘Zak is back’ is apt for the number of times I returned from injury to perform.
Reactions from players
One of the coolest pace bowlers I know. He was a bowler who could outthink the batsman most of the times. Always ready for a challenge, I am sure he will do well as he begins a new chapter in his life. Wishing ZAK all success in his retired life. — Sachin Tendulkar
Well done ZAK on a fantastic career. without U it wd hve been very difficult to achieve what the ICT did. most clever fast bowler I know… Life has just started now, U still can and definitely will contribute a lot to Indian Cricket. wish U all the success. — M.S. Dhoni
“To a great fast bowler & an even greater person, I wish you luck in all future endeavours. You have inspired many like me,” he said. — Virat Kohli
His contribution to Indian cricket is immense. Always a wicket-taking bowler and it was a pleasure to watch him bowl those dream spells. Zak was a match-winner not just with the conventional swing bowling but equally effective with the reverse swing too. — V.V.S. Laxman
Wonderful to have played with you Zak. great bowler great skill! Best wishes for the future. — Anil Kumble
He was a mentally very strong bowler and knew how to perform in international cricket. He was fair to himself and the game by deciding to quit. He was a pillar of strength in India’s fast bowling and served the team exceptionally well on unhelpful tracks, especially in the sub-continent. He was a complete bowler and I feel he can become an ideal bowling coach. — Aashish Nehra
First impressions: I saw him at the KSCA Diamond Jubilee tournament here in 1999 and 2000. He was playing for MRF and I for Indian Airlines. He did extremely well against us. I told the then-chairman of selectors, Chandu Borde, that we had to pick him for the Indian team. He was the best talent that we had at the time and he had all the qualities. He didn’t disappoint anybody from there on.
His bowling: He had a great action, good attitude. Had he taken care of his body, he would probably have got another 100 wickets easily. He made a real difference to India. Left-armers are always special. Anybody who’s bowling at that speed — 140 kph — will always come in handy. But Zaheer also had the capacity to bring the ball in, which made him very special.
Collective performance: World Cup in 2003 was the first time we used technology. That was the first time three or four fast bowlers sat together, watched videos, decided what line and length we had to bowl. That was the first time all the strategies fell in place for us. The results proved that until the final. — Javagal Srinath
Zak ur a king Bud! Loved playing with and against u! Congrats on a marvellous career, always a favorite of mine! — Dale Steyn
My go-to man. Perfect gentleman. Big Brother. And a legend in his own right. Good luck for your new innings. — Suresh Raina.
Zaheer grew from being a quick bowler to a crafty one. He was easily one of the best trainees at the MRF Pace Foundation. He bowled 145kmph at the Foundation, was young and strong. When Dennis Lillee first saw him at the Foundation, he said “he has the potential to play for India.” — T.A. Sekar
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Source:Thehindu
Zaheer Khan
