WTC Final: "I used to try and copy Zaheer Khan earlier" - Arzan Nagwaswalla

Arzan Nagwaswalla has revealed that he used to imitate Zaheer Khan's bowling action in his younger days and picked up the basics of bowling by watching the former Indian left-arm pacer's videos.

Arzan Nagwaswalla, who has been selected as one of the standbys for the Indian team's tour of England, was a net bowler for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021. The franchise recently shared a post showing the similarity in the youngster's bowling action to that of Zaheer Khan.

During an interview with India News, Arzan Nagwaswalla said that he was lost for words after seeing the post as he modeled his actions on the former Indian bowling great.

"I also saw the picture Mumbai Indians posted on their Instagram. I do not have words to express that feeling, I learned the basics of bowling by watching Zaheer Khan's videos. You can also say that I used to try and copy Zaheer Khan earlier, that I have a run-up and jump like him and deliver the ball as he does," said Nagwaswalla.

Arzan Nagwaswalla acknowledged that the Mumbai Indians' experience will hold him in good stead, as he has had fruitful interactions with some of the best coaches apart from Jasprit Bumrah.

"That experience [Mumbai Indians camp] will help me a lot because I bowled to quite a few international batsmen and spoke to many international coaches like Shane Bond or Mahela Jayawardene, and obviously Zaheer Sir. I had a lot of discussions with Jasprit bhai as well, so all their opinions will be extremely useful for me going ahead," added Nagwaswalla.

Arzan Nagwaswalla represents Gujarat in Ranji Trophy cricket - the same state as Bumrah. However, the 23-year-old might have had limited interactions with the premier Indian pacer at the domestic level, as the latter would have been away on international duty more often than not.

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Arzan Nagwaswalla's views on his selection for the England tour

Arzan Nagwaswalla is part of the 24-member Indian squad for the England tour

Arzan Nagwaswalla termed his selection in the Indian squad a great opportunity for him and observed that he is looking forward to the experience.

"I consider it a blessing that I got this opportunity. I am very excited to join the team and to practice and play with them," said Nagwaswalla.

The left-arm pacer admitted that he was pleasantly surprised when he received the national call-up and expressed hope of creating a lasting impression.

Also follow World Test Championship final live score here.

"It was an extremely surprising call. I was waiting for a big call, but I did not expect this call at all. I will make sure that I grab this opportunity with both hands and create a good impact for myself," concluded Arzan Nagwaswalla.

"Everyone was so happy and speechless when they got to know the news. I received the call when I was on my way back home and then called up my parents to share the news. When I reached home, some of my friends were there. We cut a cake." - Arzan Nagwaswalla

— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) May 10, 2021

Arzan Nagwaswalla is one of the four standbys in the India team for WTC final and the subsequent five-match series against England. The swing bowler will be particularly handy in preparing the Indian batsmen to face the Kiwi left-arm quicks, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.