The inevitable end of Zaheer’s career leaves a big void with no replacement in site. Yet the lack of ceremony is a little disconcerting.
It is telling of the current situation in India that batsmen like Vinod Kambli, who are proven failures, get more attention than a bowler who had a hand in almost every game-changing moment of India’s most cherished wins of the last decade.
It is a despairing situation for India. In the six and a half decades since independence they have only produced three world class pace bowlers – Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath and the recently axed Zaheer Khan.
Yet that is precisely the reason I think we should celebrate and recognise the achievements of the few good men who have helped keep the pace bowling flag flying for India in international cricket.
Kapil Dev was a natural athlete with one of the cleanest actions in both batting and bowling. He single-handedly helped inspire Indian youngsters to take-up fast bowling as a profession.
Srinath – the gentle giant, and an ICC Match referee now, was the fastest Indian bowler. It was a treat to watch him consistently beat the bats of the best overseas batsmen (like the old pro, Allan Border).
Yet he was a very decent chap who would go about inquiring the health of the batsmen after knocking them with a mean bouncer. And if the hurt batsman snarled back at him, he would just gently apologize and go back to his work without taking any offence.
Zaheer was neither the natural athlete like Kapil, nor was he an out and out fast bowler like Srinath. What distinguished him from the other two was that even though he had fewer five wicket hauls, when he did take wickets he takes them in clusters.
This made him a game changing bowler and hence why he is my favourite Indian pace bowler.
Zaheer’s fitness has always been an issue, always hanging over his head like Damocles’ sword. It was the reason for his current ungainly exit. It would have been better if he had worked a little harder to disguise his age rather than working on his hair-do.
As a mentor for the younger generation of Indian pace bowlers, however, Zaheer was invaluable. He really made Dhoni’s job much easier.
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