Former new-ball partner backs left-armer to fight his way back into the Test squad.
He may have been dropped from the Test squad — and rightly so — but Zaheer Khan has found support from his former new-ball partner Javagal Srinath.
Srinath, who was the spearhead of the Indian attack when Zaheer made his Test debut in 2000, told DNA on Tuesday that he didn’t quite agree with the selectors’ decision to axe his former mate. “I am not speaking emotionally (because we shared the new ball for India). It is purely professional. In my opinion, to single out Zaheer Khan and say he is not doing well is not right,” Srinath, who is now the secretary of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), said. “If you really see what has happened in the first three Tests, we are more or less going by the results. It has been a collective batting failure by India. Even the spin department has not done much.”
The 34-year-old left-armer picked up only four wickets in the three Tests against England. He gave away 53.25 runs for every scalp and picked up one after every 133 deliveries.
Srinath, who took 236 wickets in 67 Tests, said India have not become a “bad side by losing two Tests”. “Batting inspires bowling and bowling inspires batting; the fast-bowling department inspires the spin-bowling department and vice-versa. They are all inter-connected. It is a collective failure in a couple of departments. In the first Test, India won by nine wickets. That England fought back is a different issue. They played quality cricket.”
Srinath went on. “I don’t think singling out Zaheer is fair. He bowled his heart out. Criticising or terminally rejecting somebody and saying that he has lost his zing is not right. I don’t think so. Now is the time for us to say he is bowling his heart out. His experience is invaluable, let’s not chop and change. That’s not the solution.”
Asked how tough it would be for Zaheer to return to the Test team, the 43-year-old Srinath said Zaheer’s his experience should be put to best use. “He should be spoken to. They (selectors) should talk to him and ask him to deliver. It (turnaround) will happen. But I don’t understand the selectors’ stance.”
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