‘Well bowled Zak!’ has become a clichéd exclamation for the Indian team. Whether he’s opening India’s attack or coming in first change, Zaheer Khan has provided the team with that extra zing of pace and swerve since his return to international cricket last year. The break, he says, has done him a world of good and he’s ready to let it rip at the World Cup. In an exclusive interview with K. Shriniwas Rao, the bowler talks about his days in the wilderness, the hard work he put in, and his remarkable comeback. Excerpts:• Counting comeback men, you’ve undoubtedly been exceptional. The break seems to have done you a lot of good. How do you look back at it? So far, so good. Obviously, a lot of bowling in the last one year in county and at the international level has helped me. I haven’t really taken a break since last April. It’s been a hectic but fulfilling season. I am hoping to continue with the same form and trying to maintain the same kind of routine. The break turned out to be a boon in disguise. At one point it was getting difficult for me in terms of form and keeping myself fit. I realised it was essential for me to go through a recovery process. The body needed rest and there were injuries — like niggles — to be taken care of. • Could you take us through those moments when you were on a low? I was struggling with form, injuries, lack of wickets. I wasn’t really doing what I was capable of. Pressures at the international level don’t give you the opportunity to sit back and think or work on your loopholes. With every outing the loopholes keep accumulating, because in modern day cricket teams study and work on your bowling well enough to ensure that they can tackle you. There’s too much hard work, and if you’re not mentally and physically tough, it doesn’t work. • What kind of pressure did you face when you were bowling for India and not firing?Playing at the international level also brings in that moment of insecurity where you start thinking twice about anything and everything. If you know there is this one step to be taken towards reviving yourself, it suddenly becomes a very bold step because you come to realise, desolately, that you want to latch on to everything at that moment so that you’re assured that you’re not falling out of contention. For a bowler, there is only one way to regain confidence — picking wickets. Being a wicket-taking bowler is a tag that boosts your morale like nothing else. It rejuvenates you and helps you concentrate better. But it is very difficult and takes a lot of courage, while playing at the international level, to decide and take a break and give yourself time. • What was the first step you took in trying to find your mojo back? I went back to the MRF Academy where I spent time working on it and also spoke to Dennis Lillee. For the last two years, I have been bowling with a shorter run-up and that was something that Lillee had advised earlier. He had told me that I was wasting a lot of energy in my long run-up. I had to take a break and put in hours of practice or let’s say, domestic cricket. County cricket (Worcestershire) also brought a refreshing change. • Did shortening your run-up also help in increasing pace? Shortening my run-up hasn’t made much of a difference in my pace. There’s nothing new I’ve done in order to tune my pace. Actually, I don’t try to be that ‘essential 140-plus bowler’ every time I walk back to bowl. It’s a very natural thing that happens out there. It depends on the rhythm, the kind of wicket and conditions. But what I do try to do now is to bowl at a good line and length. Precisely, that is something I’ve worked equally hard on. • Can you tell us about your stint with Worcestershire?County was a learning experience. Firstly, it helped me stay away from a lot of things that I wanted to get rid of. The unnecessary attention and continuous analysis of my bowling was confusing me. Playing for Worcestershire was nice in terms of competition and the space it gave me for myself, as much as Duleep Trophy helped (Zaheer was the highest wicket-taker last season). • You seem to have your bunnies with every game. In South Africa it was Graeme Smith. In domestic cricket, there’s been Sourav Ganguly. Do you have that knack to judge batsmen and their loopholes? When the team prepares for a match, it goes in with a certain plan. Against some batsmen, it works, with others it doesn’t. But it’s after all a game. It’s about the confidence that comes from each outing and the fact that you keep learning, try to reduce the batsman’s get-away routes. It’s a very mental thing that works out with good planning. If you’re able to trouble a batsman consistently, then it’s a good thing but overall, it’s about the team’s gameplan. • You’ll be among India’s strike bowlers in the West Indies. Your thoughts.I really enjoyed my stint at the last World Cup in South Africa and hopefully, this will be even better. Regardless of the conditions, I hope to continue with my form and fitness. A lot will also depend on the conditions. But I don’t mean to say that conditions alone affect a bowler’s performance. The earlier you assess the conditions, the better. Try and see what you can do and what you cannot, and you automatically do better. At least, you’re assured that you’ve given your best. • Does one-day cricket give you that much time to assess situations? One day cricket, these days, allows you very little margin for error. Pitches over the world are becoming very batsman-friendly. There’s also the fact that teams analyse opponents very well and study their weaknesses in every minute detail. The bowler has to be economical so as to contain things as much as possible in the given 50 overs. It’s just like in Tests that you have to take 20 wickets to win a match. In one-dayers, it’s all about giving lesser and lesser runs.
