http://www.bcci.tv/homecoming-will-be-complete-now-zaheer.htmlTuesday 14, April 2009
Zaheer Khan picked up 13 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season but is looking forward to helping Mumbai Indians win the DLF-IPL crown this season
NEW DELHI: India’s premier left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan sees his turning out for Mumbai Indians in the DLF-Indian Premier League as the completion of his homecoming to the teeming western megapolis where his dreams of becoming a good, successful fast bowler found roots as an under-19 cricketer.
“I wanted to come back to the team that is based in my home city. I was longing for that,” he told G Rajaraman of iplt20.com, muffling his excitement about his shift to Mumbai Indians from Royal Challenger Bangalore. He claimed 13 wickets for Bangalore Royal Challengers but was traded for Robin Uthappa so that he could turn out for Mumbai Indians.
Zaheer Khan’s evolution as a thinking bowler comes through when the 30-year-old talks about his role as a bowling captain in some ODIs. “You have to concentrate on what you should be doing rather than on what you should not be,” he said.
Excerpts from the interview:
Will you say that your turning out for Mumbai Indians in the DLF-Indian Premier League this season completes your homecoming, considering that you did play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last year?
It has been like that for me. I started playing Ranji Trophy for Baroda and then moved back to Mumbai. In IPL I started with Royal Challengers Bangalore – I enjoyed it there – but considering the long-term prospects, I wanted to come back to the team that is based in my home city. I was longing for that.
Which of Mumbai Indians’ seven rivals would you considered the trickiest?
Chennai Super Kings. They have done exceptionally well last season, with MS (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) being around. They have a lot of good signings this time. I think Chennai Super Kings will be a tough one, yes.
And the Delhi Daredevils?
The T20 is very dynamic and any team can be tough to beat. It depends on your team is doing. The focus is on how well you are jelling together as a team and how you are responding to pressure situations. It is important to win the crucial moments of the game. It could be a 20-run over or it could be getting a wicket or breaking a partnership. In that sense, any team can be good.
But then Virender Sehwag and Gatuam Gambhir…
Obviously, they are one of the best opening pairs. They both run well between wickets. One is really aggressive in terms of attacking the bowlers and the other is sort of plays the holding game They complement one another and they are going to playing for Delhi Daredevils, They are a great plus for the team.
Have you seen any chinks in their batting?
It is really important to get the ball in the right areas. I would much rather focus on our team and our strength and how we can increase it than focus too much on what they have got or how strong they are. I will back my team to do well on that particular day. I believe in building that momentum, the environment and the winning belief than worrying too much about the opposition.
When did you evolve into this kind of thinking?
It has been a process. The more you play, the more you know about your game and what works for you, what areas you should focus on. I was having a chat with someone and he said ‘You much rather look at the gaps in the field and hit the ball there than to look at the fielders and tell yourself not to hit the ball there’. It goes like that. You have to concentrate on what you should be doing rather than on what you should not be.
Do you enjoy your role as
bowling captain in some ODIs?
It has been great. MS has been great in showing the confidence in me and putting me in that responsible position. And I have been able to fulfill that role and enjoy being in that position and helping others. You would normally do that but when that additional responsibility is given, it makes you more focussed on your game. It also takes you back to the basics. When you are talking to them, you are telling yourself too. It keeps you in the scheme of things when you are sharing your experience with others. I have been in this kind of environment since the time I have been playing for India.
In the coming weeks, many of your India team-mates will be in the opposition. For instance, you face Dhoni first up. Is there a mindset change called for when you play these games?
At the end of the day, we are professional cricketers. When you are playing for a team, all you are thinking is how to get the team to win. It will be great content. It will be interesting to bowl to MS, who is so threatening in the death overs. It will be a good challenge for me as well. In New Zealand we were pulling each other’s legs. I was telling Yuvraj Singh ‘You are going to hit me for sixes.’ And he was like, ‘No, no, no… I know you will have your ideas and set up fields that make it tough for me to hit’. Those things are going around already. But we all know that when we are on the field, we will be giving our 100 per cent to make our teams win.
Is IPL a contest between bat and ball? Or is there more to it?
Of course, it is a contest but you just prepare differently for each format of the game. For a Test match, I like to take it easy the day before the game because it can go over five days and there is plenty of bowling to be done. You have to be fresh so that you last five days. You are not sure how the game is going to progress. You can gauge how the game is going on the first day. In one-day, it is all about being on the spot from ball one. Dot balls become important. You are allowed to bowl only one bouncer. So strategically you have that to make that mental adjustment. And in Twenty20, since it is dynamic and short, it is explosive. You have to put in that extra bit in terms of warm ups so that you are feeling nice and supple so that you are ready to go the whole hog from the first delivery.
What is the greatest thing about IPL?
It is the exposure that a lot of the under-19 players and others from our domestic circuit get and the amount of learning just being around top international cricketers. They can learn from just watching these cricketers prepare and how they go about things. If the youngsters can learn those things at an early stage of their career, it can make a huge difference to their plans of raising their levels.
AuthorTopic: Mumbai Indians Tracker : IPL 2 (Read 3261 times)
March 10, 2008, 04:17:09 PM
