He had batted superbly through 190 minutes, ignoring humid conditions and soaking in the pressure of a gripping contest, but the question uppermost in the minds of many was whether would find the motivation to be at his creative best with the cricket ball when he returned to the field 10 minutes later on the fourth morning of the first Test against Australia on Sunday.
The answer did not take long coming: Zaheer Khan took the new ball and posed questions to Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich in a lively spell. But just when it was beginning to appear that his efforts on a lifeless track would not bear fruit, he produced a piece of beauty. No subtle change of pace to deceive the batsman – just old fashioned swing bowling.
He generated late swing and trapped Hayden in front. With Katich embracing a defensive role, Australia’s chances of pressing for a win hinged a great deal on Hayden. At the start of the year in Sydney, with Australia trailing India by 79 runs, he braved a thigh injury and made a battling century that gave his side the chance to win the contentious Test match.
On the opening day in Bangalore, there was considerable doubt if Hayden had actually nicked a Zaheer delivery to Mahendra Singh Dhoni but there was no such question in the second innings. The Indian had summoned the reserves of his energy [and that speaks for his fitness] in his eight-over spell with the new ball and stopped Australia from getting away to a flying start.
The Test match has had many wonderful performers but none has made his presence felt on each of the four days as Zaheer Khan has. On the opening day, he picked up a wicket in the first and last overs. He seemed to be flagging on the second afternoon but dug into his reserves to end a fighting stand between Michael Hussey and Brett Lee, sweeping the last three wickets.
Then, coming in to bat with India delicately poised at 232 for seven on Saturday afternoon, he partnered Harbhajan Singh in an 80-run stand that exposed Australia’s concerns with the new ball. He continued the good work with the bat on Sunday, defying Ricky Ponting and his bowlers for a good part of an hour and a half before he ran out of partners.
And in claiming Hayden’s scalp for the sixth time in his career, Zaheer had shown that he was prepared to step forward in showcasing India’s intensity and desire to make a match of it. But he will be aware that he has more work to do on the final day of the Test if his team is to get away unpunished for letting Ponting and Michael Hussey pick up maiden Test centuries in India.
He has already been an inspiration for the bowling attack – Ishant Sharma and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh responded magnificently after he retired to the outfield. With Australia at 128 for five, India could even scent a remarkable victory but the interesting partnership between Shane Watson and Brad Haddin seems to have swung the game away from India one more time.
And many years later, Zaheer can look back at the Bangalore experience and think of how well he tried to help India claw its way out of trouble. Since the time he returned to the Indian team on the tour of South Africa two years ago, he has claimed 63 wickets in 15 Tests at an average of 28.26 runs each.
The striking part is his being comfortable in his own skin, raising the bar for himself – and those who bowl in tandem with him. Now, as he steps assuredly into his 31st year, Zaheer knows that a few younger bowlers will keep snapping at his heels but he has shown that while he is ready to share his wisdom and experience, they will have to work very hard to displace him from the pedestal as India’s premier fastmedium bowler.
“I help them channel their energies in the right way,” he told an interviewer recently. “Like, if anyone has any questions about getting the areas right or how to go about training. I've been telling all the youngsters to develop a routine that will help them through the season. This I've learned through experience.”
Thus far, the Banglaore Test has been some experience in itself for Zaheer Khan.
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