Zaheer Recalls Torrid Experience with Then Indian Coach, Greg Chappell

India’s main ( some would say only ) spearhead spoke out candidly about the toughest phase of his cricket and not surprisingly, it coincides with the time the Indian cricket team spent with the then Indian coach, Greg Chappell.

Zaheer Khan

Chappell shared a tumultuous relationship with more than one Indian cricketer during his tenure between 2005 and 2007, culminating in a torrid end with India’s quick exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. In that span of time, however, most cricket experts are of the collective opinion that the team took regressive steps and suffering mentally enough to set them back before enjoying a revival of the spirit of playing the game under Gary Kirsten, the Indian coach who now makes way for Duncan Fletcher.

Zaheer Khan is presently sidelined with injury, something that has been bogging him down for sometime intermittently despite featuring in the IPL 4 season. However, Zaheer has come to be an indispensable weapon in India’s armour as the only Indian fast bowler who has been consistent when he was not injured.

However, Zaheer Khan revealed how that was not always the case. In fact, it is common knowledge that Zaheer Khan went through a phase following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final in South Africa when India’s young fast bowlers were overcome by nerves against Australia. Zaheer was questioned over his fitness, commitment amongst other factors, conditions getting progressively worse under Chappell by his own admission.

Chappell had some rather public fall out with Sourav Ganguly, the then Indian coach. However, it was no hidden that the Indian cricket was being subjected to a spell where the players never felt the stability to play with freedom. With uncertainty dogging their every step, the performances suffered and as the Chappell era drew to a close, there was both despondency at the state of affairs but also, that the matters could not get any worse.

Chappell has several opinions and ideas and many of these did not include roles for many of the illustrious, senior Indian cricketers. If Yuvraj Singh or Harbhajan Singh felt divided, unknowing which camp they would be safer be supporting, it was obvious that Chappell did not share a good equation even with someone like Sachin Tendulkar. Zaheer Khan revealed in a television interview that his experience was no better.

Zaheer Khan spoke how a spell of England county cricket helped him discover his love for playing the game after a rather doubting period in the game when his selection and omission caused him much turmoil and that his equation with the coach had given him no reason to feel like he belonged in the team and if indeed the reasons for taking up cricket even existed.

As it turns out, Zaheer not only made a worthwhile comeback but also, has become the no.1 fast bowler in the Indian cricket, a player without whom the bowling has looked fragile. The only concern about Zaheer in the team is his injuries of late. Other than that, it would perhaps be fair to say that while his bursting on to the scene was thrilling, his second stint in the Indian cricket team could not be more invaluable from the team perspective with India.