Five successful Indian cricketers in county cricket

2. Zaheer Khan (Worcestershire, Surrey)

The powerful left-arm fast bowler has attributed his recent successes at the international level to his tenure with English county side Worcestershire in 2006.

Zaheer’s tryst with county cricket began in 2004 when he was signed up by Surrey to replace the injured Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. He had to leave mid-way through the season on national duty for the Asia Cup, and so did not get the kind of exposure he needed.

In 2006, the 28-year -old, who had been dropped from the side due to injuries and loss of form, was chosen to represent Worcestershire, replacing injured Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar.

In his first game against Somerset, the left-armer took ten wickets but Worcester lost the match. Against Essex in June that year, Zaheer grabbed nine wickets in the first innings, and had the wicket-keeper not dropped an edge by the last man, he would have been the first bowler to take all ten for the county.

His 78 wickets from 16 games at Worcestershire helped him to regain his place for the 2007 England tour, where he aided India in winning a Test series on English soil for the first time in 21 years. He also became the joint highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup, helping India to their second title in the event after 28 years.

Zaheer fully credits his stint at Worcestershire for a resurgence in his injury-prone career. He understood the nuances of the game, bowling on different kinds of wickets, and above all, it instilled in him a sense of professionalism and a great understanding of various cultures.

Youngsters such as Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar would do well to take Zak’s advice.