Zaheer khan back for Australian batsmen

With a gruelling four-Test series against Australia ahead, India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan on Thursday said he is prepared for the challenge and determined to get in the "best state of mind". "I am all prepared for it. I am feeling confident, I have done every bit possible to get my fitness up and just looking forward to playing some matches now," said Zaheer. The left-arm pacer reiterated that he wanted to focus on his strengths rather than pondering over the conditions and the quality of batsman in the opposite camp. "Just want to focus on my strengths rather than worrying who am I going to bowl, what is going to happen, what kind of wickets I am going to bowl on. It's all about me thinking about my bowling and fitness and get in the best state of mind to perform well for team India," Zaheer said. "I have played few first class games back home which went well, I have enough bowling under my belt so just want to focus on my cricket now," he added. Zaheer stressed on the importance of hitting the right areas to keep the batsmen under check and said the practice games ahead of the all-important series will help the bowlers to explore the right length. "As a bowler its all about getting in the right areas, if you are hitting the right length, if you are able to get the ball moving, then you are going to trouble any batsman in the world," he said. "It is about increasing the percentage of getting the ball in the right areas which is going to cause trouble to the batsman. For bowlers it is important to try and work out which length to bowl on this track," Zaheer stressed. Zaheer also said it will be important for the batsman to get accustomed to the conditions. "For batters also it is important to get used to the conditions. I am sure from batting point of view also it is going to be an important match," he said. The 32-year-old, who skipped India's two-day warm-up match against CA Chairman today, heaped praise on the young Umesh Yadav for his three-wicket haul at the Manuka Oval. "Its good to see him bowl 140 plus which is really important and I am sure that wickets here are definitely going to suit his style of bowling because wickets are going to produce that extra bit of bounce," Zaheer said. "Its still early days for him, the more he plays the more he will learn. So its all about exposure at this level. I am sure with time to come he will learn more things as well," he added.

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4:23 AM

Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan Statistics
Born: 7 October 1978, Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Major Teams: Baroda, India.
Known As: Zaheer Khan
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Medium Fast

Profile:
Zaheer Khan who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket is one of the best current findings of Indian team. His emergence has been a revelation for Indian cricket which was badly needing a genuine quick bowler. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened people's expectations. His pace and willingness to angle the ball into the body has impressed even the best in the World. He is an aggressive wicket taking bowler and has unveiled another potent dimension of his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, where he struck Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings thus proving that he is an aggresive batter too.

The emergence of Zaheer Khan has given the Indian new ball attack a sense of well-being after a long hiatus. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened expectations. He stayed in the forefront of India's ICCKO and Champions Trophy campaigns, picking up 15 wickets, the most prized being Steve Waugh's, which showed he could unsettle the best in the business. Always presenting a composed exterior, his bursts of speed and willingness to angle the ball into the body can discompose most batsmen. In two Tests on bland subcontinent wickets, Zaheer toiled for limited success but his enthusiasm never flagged. He unveiled another potent dimension to his game in the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, smiting Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings.

Three years with the MRF Pace Foundation moulded Zaheer into a fighting fit product, ready to pass through the turnstiles into international cricket. He was given the opportunity to train at the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide in October 1999 and toured New Zealand with the Academy boys. Having played for Mumbai at the Under-19 level, he failed to break into the city's Ranji Trophy side and sensibly decided to shift allegiances to Baroda. The impact of his Australian sojourn was evident during his maiden first-class season in 1999-2000, which yielded 35 wickets. The lad from Srirampur who quit his engineering studies to pursue a career in cricket would soon rest assured he had made the right decision.

Test Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, Only Test, 2000/01
ODI Debut: India v Kenya at Nairobi (Gymk), ICC KnockOut, 2000/01


Career Statistics:
TESTS
(including 08/03/2005)
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 38 49 12 441 75 11.91 55.19 0 1 10 0

O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 1176.1 239 3840 102 37.64 5-29 3 0 69.1 3.26

ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
(including 02/04/2005)
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 91 48 19 338 34* 11.65 79.15 0 0 22 0

O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 745.2 45 3625 136 26.65 4-19 6 0 32.8 4.86

FIRST-CLASS
(1999/00 - 2004/05; last updated 31/03/2005)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 69 89 17 1046 75 14.52 0 2 24 0

O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 2245.5 444 7301 241 30.29 6-25 15 3 55.9 3.25

LIST A LIMITED OVERS
(1999/00 - 2004/05; last updated 02/04/2005)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 121 64 24 431 34* 10.77 0 0 34 0

O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 1017 64 4868 171 28.46 4-19 7 0 35.6 4.78

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2:08 AM