Hard yards transform Zaheer

14 August 2007

Zaheer Khan © Getty Images

Rahul Dravid believes India match-winner Zaheer Khan is the perfect example to aspiring fast bowlers.

Zaheer finished as India's man of the series in the 1-0 npower Test series victory over England to cap a stunning return to international cricket.

And Dravid reckons it was a marathon season with Worcestershire which revitalised the 28-year-old's career.

Zaheer lost form entirely in the winter of 2004-05 and was not even in the selection shake-up for series against England and West Indies last year.

But county cricket put miles in his legs and India have reaped the benefit since his return nine months ago.

"The way he has come back has been a credit," said Dravid, who used Zaheer as his spearhead this summer.

"He came in as a young bowler with a lot of potential, lost his way a little bit in the middle but has come back really strong.

"He's gone back to the basics, gone back to bowling a lot of overs - just bowled and bowled and bowled.

Rahul Dravid was pleased with Zaheer © Getty Images

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"That is a great example and something that should be talked about so that young bowlers in India can look up to him. He is a great role model for someone.

"He has gone and done the hard yards: I don't know of any other road to success at this level other than going out and doing those hard yards."

Zaheer sent down 618.4 overs in last summer's County Championship, more than any other fast bowler, and was rewarded with 78 wickets at 29 apiece. Only three other men - Andy Caddick, Steve Kirby and Johann Louw - managed more than 500 overs.

England's way has been to rest the young seamers whenever possible, but Zaheer, who took 18 wickets in this three-match series, has extolled the virtue of old-fashioned graft.

He first began to lose rhythm while on tour in Bangladesh and it was during the initial days of struggle that Zaheer was persuaded to try bowling around the wicket as an alternative.

Temporarily unable to control the direction of the ball from the more conventional route employed by left-arm pace bowlers, he practised delivering from a new angle to straighten himself out.

Hours of practice in the nets since have had an overwhelming and long-lasting effect on his confidence and England struggled to counter an effortless ability to switch from one point of attack to another.

RP Singh bowled round the wicket © Getty Images

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The ploy of bowling around the wicket was also taken up by fellow leftie Rudra Pratap Singh - a consequence of England hitting the ball to all parts in the first session of the series at Lord's.

"They just said 'let's try this' and we tried it a couple of times," reflected Dravid, of a policy which had a major bearing on the outcome.

"It worked. RP Singh got Michael Vaughan out at Lord's, so that sort of helped.

"Because we got a wicket we thought we would keep doing it, experimented a bit with it in the nets, looked at some of the angles involved, and it was just something that evolved through a few conversations, as most tactics do. It came off early on so it was persisted with.

"It is not that we have come up with something totally new, we have seen guys do it against us but it is not an easy thing to execute.

"Our guys have executed it really well and that has been the key."

Dravid's men began Wednesday's celebrations of India's 60th anniversary of independence hours early after closing out only their third Test series victory on English soil.

"Cricket is special in India," said Dravid. "I am sure they will be celebrating.

"As Indian players we do understand that we bring a lot of joy to a lot of people with our successes.

"We are aware of our responsibility and it is nice that there will be so many kids in small villages and towns in India who will be smiling today."