“When my peak came, Zaheer wasn’t peaking” – Former India cricketer picks India’s best hunting pair among pacers

Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan has picked Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as the best hunting pair among pacers in the history of Indian cricket. The cricketer-turned-analyst added that, unlike spin duos, the two Indian fast bowlers previously only dominated in patches. Justifying his statement, Irfan cited the examples of his partnerships with Zaheer Khan, L Balaji, and Ashish Nehra.

Irfan pointed out that Indian spinners always hunted in pairs in home conditions. He shared the examples of Anil Kumble & Harbhajan Singh, and R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja.

During his interview with The Lallantop, the 40-year-old revealed that Zaheer Khan lost his form in 2006. He said:

“19:58 – In the last few years, we’ve seen Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. They hunt in pairs. We saw Jadeja and Ashwin among spinners, especially in home conditions, hunting in pairs. Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh hunt in pairs, especially in home conditions. In fast bowling, Zaheer Khan and I used to play together for some time. But when my peak came, Zaheer wasn’t peaking. There was a time when he wasn’t doing well, but then he went to England and worked hard, came back."

"I bowled together with L Balaji for some time as well. Then I was there with Nehra. But overall, Bumrah and Shami. I wish they come back together in the future. They performed very well,” he added.

Bumrah and Shami have together picked up over 900 wickets across formats. Bumrah has bagged 457 wickets (197), while Shami has 462 scalps (197 games). While Bumrah is currently ranked World No.1 in Tests, Shami has lost his place in Team India following the ankle injury he sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup. The latter made his comeback to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy last year but has been ignored by national selectors.

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Zaheer Khan was dropped from the Indian Cricket Team in 2006

Zaheer Khan, who was the joint-highest wicket-taker (18) at the 2011 ODI World Cup, was dropped from the national team in 2006 due to poor form and fitness, as per multiple reports. The left-arm pacer spent time with Worcestershire in the County Championship.

During his county stint, Zaheer made amends to his bowling, using a shorter run-up to remove stress on his body. He became a productive bowler with the ability to swing both ways. He emerged as the leading wicket-taker in Division Two with 78 wickets in 16 matches. Later, he bagged 18 wickets in three Tests during India's tour of England in 2007. His red-hot form helped the Rahul Dravid-led side win the Test series 1-0.