County cricket is a great education, Zaheer Khan was a transformed bowler after his stint: Murali Kartik
Former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik described county cricket as a great education. He gave the example of former pacer Zaheer Khan to illustrate how a stint in the UK can transform a cricketer.
Although Murali Kartik had a stop-start career with India, he went on to become a regular on the county scene. The 44-year-old represented Somerset, Lancashire, Surrey and Middlesex during his time in England.
Reflecting on his county experience, Murali Kartik told Ravichandran Ashwin during the YoutTube show DRS with Ash:
“It is a great education, trust me, for every cricketer -- forget spinners, seamers, batsmen. I know you (Ashwin) have gone and played as well.”
Speaking about Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik further pointed out:
“Zaheer Khan, what a transformed bowler he was after his county stint.”
Zaheer was struggling for form in 2006, when he was chosen to represent Worcestershire, replacing injured Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar. He took 78 wickets from 16 games at Worcestershire and returned to the Indian team a changed bowler.
On his own county experience, Murali Kartik added that the varied conditions on offer and pressure of expectations from an overseas player helped him grow as a bowler. The cricketer-turned-commentator elaborated:
“For me, personally, the ball didn’t turn. Even if it did, it was very slow. I was there as an overseas player and that was added pressure as well as you are expected to deliver irrespective of the surfaces even if you have Jimmy Anderson and Dominic Cork in your line-up. That is what I learnt when I first went to Lancashire. For me, I went there after Muttiah Muralitharan. So that was again a big shoes to fill. What I learnt was that, as a bowler, when you play the first day of a championship match, how do you bowl?"
“You might be an attacking spinner by nature. But you have to tone down that menu according to the day and wicket that you are playing in. Because, just on a 10-mile radius, the wickets are so different. Essex is different compared to Middlesex, which is so flat. In fact, on the same Middlesex ground, towards the slope, towards the visitors’ pavilion, it will be flat, but on the other end, it starts seaming,” he added.
Murali Kartik also revealed that, as an overseas player in England, one is expected to do a lot more than just bowl.
“They also see how much you socialize with players and help them,” he elaborated.
When Murali Kartik bowled 43 overs in a day
During the interaction with Ashwin, he also recalled that circumstances once forced him to bowl 43 overs in a day, by the end of which he was “dead tired”. Murali Kartik remembered:
“In one of the games Chaminda Vaas and myself were overseas players. We had Tim Murtagh, who is playing for Ireland. Allan Richardson and then, Chris Silverwood, who is now England coach. Murtagh pulled his hamstring in his first two overs. Silverwood injured his back. Vaas and Richardson couldn’t bowl all day. I bowled 43 overs in a day and was dead tired when I went home that day and all I remember was waking up next morning.”
Apart from his county stint, Murali Kartik also represented India in eight Tests, 37 ODIs and one T20I. His international appearances were limited as his career coincided with established spinners like Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.