There are some people in the world that are the automatic go-to characters for their peers. Whatever the situation be, these people can come in and assist in the most helpful way possible. Being reliable is the trait that attracts people towards them.
From 2003 to 2013, Zaheer Khan was the go-to bowler for India. Need a wicket? Give the ball to Zak. Need to slow the pace of the opponent’s innings? Give the ball to Zak. Need a word of advice on where to bowl to a batsman? Go to Zak.
While Rahul Dravid was widely known as Mr. Dependable for his unparalleled steadfastness in Test cricket, Zaheer Khan held the same distinction when it came to bowling – and he showed just that with his performances in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph.
And now that he has been announced as India’s new bowling coach, here are five reasons why he adds value to the bowling unit.
#5 Invaluable experience
Someone who has played in three World Cups and reached the final in two of them is certainly a man of invaluable experience. And he was just not another member of the squad. On both occasions, Zaheer Khan was a fundamental figure in India’s run to the finals in 2003 and 2011.
Indeed, he was India’s most successful bowler in the 2003 edition, taking more wickets than even the legendary Javagal Srinath with 18 scalps from 11 games at an average of 20.77. The fact that India’s only two losses in the tournament came when Zaheer couldn’t take wickets is a testament to his team’s reliance on him.
In India’s World Cup winning campaign in 2011, Zak was again the leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets in nine games. He is India’s joint-most successful bowler in World Cups with 44 wickets from only 23 matches. In the end, India won the tournament – and Zaheer was one of the main reasons for it.
This is a man who chose to play county cricket in a bid to develop his bowling. So he is a man with a lot of experience in different kinds of situations. This is something that is bound to help the Indian bowlers as his experience will rub off on them, something that didn’t happen with, say, former bowling coach, Joe Dawes.
#4 Instils work ethic
To be fair, Zaheer Khan, with all due respect, wasn’t the most naturally talented bowler. Indeed, even he himself admitted in an interview to the Times of India, “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.”
Zaheer never took anything for granted. Two years after the 2003 World Cup, his form dipped dramatically and he was demoted to a C-grade contract. But he just kept his head down and worked hard.
In 2006, at a time when his career reached a point of peril, he packed his bags and went to England in a bid to improve his qualities. Not only did he find form – he took 78 wickets in the county with Worcestershire that year – he also gained priceless experience of bowling on foreign soil.
What happened after that is history that most Indians know.
This is the kind of hard work that propelled Zaheer Khan to the legendary status that he has now – and this is the kind of diligence that he will instil on the talents of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the likes.
#3 Can mentally develop the bowlers
When the chips were down, it was always Zaheer Khan towards whom the faith was directed – and he almost always delivered. Be it Ganguly or Dhoni, he was always the John Watson to the captain’s Sherlock Holmes.
It is not just the wickets that he took, but the timing of it. Under pressure, he always performed, he always delivered. One has to look only as far as India’s game against England in the group stages of the 2011 World Cup. Andrew Strauss took the form of an exploding sun that was consuming everything with its fire as he was batting at 158.
And then Zaheer struck with a classic Zaheer Khan delivery: a toe-crashing Yorker with a hint of late swing. Before Strauss could fathom what was thrown at him, his stumps had been knackered and the bails were off. He was gone. In the end, India managed to salvage a tie out of the game.
He was not a wicket-machine like, say, Mitchell Starc, but his response in the most adverse of situations is what made him one of India’s best ever bowlers.
Even when it came to his personal adversities, he faced them head-on. Like mentioned in the earlier slide, when he was dropped from the team back in 2006, he didn’t give up and kept working hard to find a place back in the team.
For a fast bowler, injuries and subsequent drop in form is a common pattern – and Zaheer is one of the very few people who could guide a bowler suffering from such a hardship.
#2 Can teach a thing or two about reverse swing
Zaheer Khan, to many, is one of the pioneers of the reverse swing. He is arguably the best Indian pacer to deploy it effectively in matches. When the red cherry got old and lost its shine on one side, Zaheer Khan could make it dance like very few in the world – just look at what he did at Trent Bridge in 2007.
Indeed, one of England’s most lethal swinger, James Anderson, picked up the art of the reverse swing from the legendary Indian bowler. When the Englishman was asked about the source of inspiration of his reverse swings, he said: “From Zaheer Khan, we found it really difficult to face [in 2007].”
If James Anderson could learn the trick from Zaheer Khan and engrave his name among the best pacers in the world, then it is only logical to believe that the Indian fast bowlers would learn it better since Zaheer Khan will be tutoring them on a day-to-day basis.
Expect the likes of Bumrah and Bhuvi to swing the ball like never before.
#1 An analyser with great communication skills
Ask any one of R.P. Singh, Munaf Patel or Sreesanth about who groomed them during their spell in the Indian team and they will instantly name the World Cup winning left-arm pacer. Zaheer was – and still is – one of those guys who had no problems with getting his word across his peers.
Indeed, by the end of his career, he was as much a coach as he was a teammate. He was essentially a bowler’s captain; knowing exactly what each of their strength was and how to make the best of use it.
Not only that, Zak is an excellent analyser of the game. For someone whose body was bruised with multiple injuries, Zaheer had to use more of his head than muscle to outwit the batsmen and help his team in the process.
When he starts working with the current batch of youngsters, his easy-going diplomatic nature and wise analytical skills will ensure that he has no problems with communicating with them and getting the best out of them. He will recognise the strengths and the weaknesses of the bowlers and work to improve on them – benefiting the whole team in the process.
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