I need to chalk out proper fitness strategy: Zaheer Khan

[rkt.india]

India's pace spearhead shares with Deba Prasad Dhar how he has evolved as a cricketer, the road ahead and why he's excited about bowling with young Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Zaheer Khan How is your rehab going? My training is on in full swing. All I can say is that I’m on track and happy to be back on the field. You always insist that the more you bowl, the better you feel about your bowling. Does that theory hold true even today? Absolutely. When I bowl after rehab, my body always adapts to it. Once I increase my bowling load, I feel better. I’m sure this time it will be the same as well. This is a long season for you guys. How are you going to manage your body workload? I missed a very crucial part of the season. But those are things not under my control. In terms of workload, in the IPL it will only be four overs per match. So the stress on my body will be lesser compared to the demands in ODIs, or Test matches where you have to bowl approximately 20 overs a day. You have been around for nearly 12 years now. How would you assess your career, the highs and the lows? Whatever situations have been thrown at me, I’ve reacted to them very well. Looking back, I’m proud of the fact that I’ve come a long way. Being a professional cricketer, you always have your good and bad days. And I definitely had more good days. Your spearhead the Indian attack. Given the amount of matches the team plays, realistically how much of cricket is left in you? I’ve always endorsed the fact that the more I play, the better I get. When I’m bowling well, I like to play maximum number of matches. When you are in good rhythm, you must keep it going because injuries are something you can’t avoid. At some stage you are going to get injured. And at that time you do miss cricket. That’s why whenever I’m playing, you will not see me miss many games. Something was missing in your bowling in the Tests against England. The reverse swing was not to be seen. Or were you not conditioned well? Some credit has to go to the England batters. They were playing well and we missed a few chances at crucial times. Having said that, I’m not the sort of person who makes excuses. I’m the leader of the pack and have that additional responsibility. The fact of the matter is that I couldn’t deliver. If that means I must chalk out a new strategy, go back to the basics and resolve a few things, which could be related to my performance, then I’m prepared to do that. By your high standards, is there a figure you want to achieve before you retire? Not really, I never set numbers as my target. The fact is that I really enjoy bowling and that’s my priority. I’m enjoying it still. Going out and bowling gives me a different kind of a high. In terms of fitness, I need to chalk out a proper strategy to go ahead. I’ve to work hard on my fitness and do everything possible to regain my place in the Indian team. So you will play all the three formats... Honestly, I’ve not given it a thought. For me, the priority is to sort my body out. If at any stage I feel that my body is not coping with the workload and I need to manage it some way, I’ll review where I stand. If spinners mature in their 30s, what are the peak years for a fast bowler? It’s got nothing to do with you being a spinner or a fast bowler. Certain things come with experience. For anyone, the first three to four years in international cricket is a learning phase. The learning never stops irrespective of whether you have played for five years or 12. It should never stop. The day you think you have achieved it all, your graph will go down. Staying focussed and adding bits and pieces to your armoury are always handy. Our bowling coach Joe Dawes believes you have the ‘best wrist’ in international cricket. Wasim Akram revealed that it took him many years to understand the right wrist position. How long did you take to figure it out? I also took a long time to figure it out (laughs). I would say I got it right around 2006, after six-seven years of international cricket. That’s when I realised what my bowling style is and what exactly is required at this level. Over the years, I’ve learnt many things: how to manage myself better, what kind of training is working for me...basically knowing what my bowling and body require. You had once said that the bodies of Indian pacers are not conducive to fast bowling. Has Umesh Yadav changed your perception? I had said that human bodies, in general, are not meant for fast bowling. I never remarked that Indian bodies are not fit for it. I was misquoted there. If you look at it, you are running in a straight line, then you jump and there are plenty of forces going through you. You create momentum and there is a lot of twisting and turning that your body is not designed for. You feel stress on the joints and the back because of all the rotation involved. That’s why you see every bowler, not just Indians, face injuries or deal with different niggles. India thrashed Australia 4-0 in the recent Tests. Were you surprised by the one-sidedness of the series? Not really. Our team is very much capable of achieving such kind of results. It was heartening to see the effort on the field and the kind of momentum we created. We didn’t give them a quarter throughout the series. As a team we were not up to the mark against England. Against Australia, that hunger was very much visible. We didn’t do well against England but we did the right learning. And we applied the learning very well against the Aussies. You might pair up with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in South Africa. It will be a lovely sight for Indian cricket. He has a bright future. You can see he has got good control over his swing. You have got to give credit to him, the way he has improved. I remember a Ranji final against UP in Hyderabad. He had control over swing every then but lacked in pace. It’s evident that he has worked on that part. Now, his pace is up and the control is great. He is getting results for all the hard work he has put in. http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/1818363/report-i-need-to-chalk-out-proper-fitness-strategy-zaheer-khan

[Sooda]

Will he be playing in the IPL? Will be good to have back fully fit for SA, he should retire from Ltd overs internationals though

[Lord]

he needs to quit LOIs n golgappas

[Ultimate_Game]

A bit too late to "chalk out a fitness strategy" methinks. Should have done it when you started your professional career but I guess he will need to do it now to play IPL :facepalm: One of the most unfit bowlers I have seen who had a knack of breaking down in the middle of important Test series.

[cowboysfan]

He is done,its time to quit international cricket and get married.

[putrevus]

For a guy who is not pace bowler who bowls 150 plus every time putting more stress ala Shane Bond, Zaheer get injured too often and is also never fit for a whole series. There is no point in giving him more chances, he will breakdown at the most inopportune time leaving the team clueless.

[Junyfan]

good to see.

[Austin 3:!6]

Best left arm fast bowler from Sub continent after Wasim Akram.

[Pagalpanti]

Zaheer was amazing ever since his come back in 2006-07 season. I think since then upto 2011 Eng series he never got injured and was one of the biggest reasons why India won at home despite lacking wicket taking spinners. If he can have another final burst till 2015 (world cup), it'd be great for India. I'd be confident with Zak-Bhuvi than the "I can't lead the pace attack/I copied Zak's action" Ishant.

[Deleted_User_1]

Ya think?