The "Zak" of many trades
When an Indian fast bowler steams in quick strides, hits the deck hard and tests the best batsman in the world with his zippy and meticulous Yorkers, it arouses an interest in the minds of viewers. The interest is provoked because it is very non-Indian to bowl fast and toe-crushing Yorkers in a nation which boasts its prowess more in swords and less in cherries.
But, as unbelievable it may be, those scenes in the year 2000 in Nairobi were the first signs of a legend in making. Zaheer Khan was introduced to the world as a fast bowler with curly hair and a promising physique, who could send the batsmen packing with his lethal pace.
It was a time when Indian cricket was struggling with match-fixing scandals, had a new captain and bowling department needed someone to go along with then spearhead Javagal Srinath. The arrival of Zaheer Khan was a breath of a fresh air because of his ability to generate extra yards of pace and create problems for the batsmen with his left-arm angle. His approach was aggressive and India got a fast bowler who bowled to the captain’s approach on the field.
The Zaheer of initial years was eye-catching for viewers and deadly for batsmen. His ability to swing the ball away from right-handers made life difficult for them, and the occasional straight deliveries left them in despair. His action had more jump, his upper body outweighed the lower one and the strength in his arms generated the pace for him. At the beginning of 2003 Cricket World Cup, he became a reliable a weapon of Ganguly’s bowling armory and contributed largely to the success of the team in the tournament.
It was after that disastrous World Cup final that he began to lose his sheen. His body weight increased and as a result, the pace dropped by few yards. The Yorkers were playable, his over-reliance on out-swing was not working anymore and by the end of year 2005, he lost his spot in the team. A new breed of fast bowlers emerged and he struggled with his injury-prone body.
It was his great ability to understand and read the game that revived him after a stint in County Cricket. County Cricket helped him in getting his crafts aligned and brought him back into shape. The one-year tenure helped him in three ways – one, it made him aware of the limitations and challenges his aging body had, second, it gave him that envious ability to take wickets, which is a rarity and three, it made him fit and more capable of the workload this game demands.
The resurrection of Zaheer Khan began after he was picked for an overseas tour and he began to trample the opposition with his fierce pace and swing. I remember seeing him in a Duleep Trophy game in Indore where he demolished the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa with his in-swingers. Those were the first signs of a renewed Zaheer Khan who looked in shape, who had learned the art of swinging the ball both ways and who had excelled in his own confines.
In the years to come, world cricket saw a refreshed Zak, who was a master of his skills, spearhead the Indian bowling attack. It was by this time that the best phase of Indian Cricket began and his noteworthy contributions were undoubtedly important in the team’s success. India began to win tests overseas, he mentored the likes of Ishant Sharma and RP Singh, made plans for them and nurtured the young breed with his great understanding of the game.
As the years progressed, his performance on sub-continent pitches improved. He worked on his reverse swing and used the crease effectively to deceive the batsmen in air. His seam was upright and his improved action meant he had more time to hide the ball before the delivery. He truncated his run-up to save energy and channelized it in the most effective way. His best performance came in the 2011 World Cup, where he marshaled the attack with his innovative slower one which gave him a lot of wickets.
Looking back at his career, numbers do not reflect the greatness he possessed. His constant improvement in his game slowly made him the “zak” of all trades – be it the reverse swing, the slower delivery or the use of crease, he mastered everything on his own.For a bowler, the toughest part is to win the belief of a captain and he won that with every captain. It was his ability to grab the moments that mattered that he snatched a wicket when it was most needed.
It was very difficult to be a Zaheer Khan and it was his sheer determination which allowed him to shoulder all the responsibilities with his aging body. We may not say “Zak is back” again but he still has a lot to contribute to Indian Cricket. He painted his career on a canvas with his own colors and now it’s time for him to paint the future of India. I hope BCCI use him as the main architect in building the fast bowling edifice that we can have.