5 reasons why Zaheer Khan will add value to the Indian bowling line up

#4 Instils work ethic

Zaheer had always worked to add more to his bowling

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.