When India wins, Zaheer Khan likes to rock

He usually listens to old Hindi songs. But if Team India wins, Zaheer Khan prefers rock.

He usually listens to old Hindi songs. But if Team India wins, Zaheer Khan prefers rock.

HT Image

The injured pacer, who has been ruled out of the second Test starting on Monday, is now looking to making a comeback in the third Test.

"The fact is that no one can predict injuries," Zaheer, who has been ruled out with a pulled right hamstring and is being treated here, told IANS in an exclusive interview.

"You have to look after your body in all the ways you can - the rest no one can predict."

Zaheer was picked for the Pakistan tour after a long layoff due to the same problem. The Vadodara left-armer pulled his hamstring during the first Test against Australia at Brisbane in December and missed the rest of the tour.

The 25-year-old spent most of his recent time recovering from the injury before heading for Pakistan, where he was not his usual self in the one-day series.

"Just 10 days before the tour I started bowling," he said, of his stint with Australian fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee at Chennai's MRF Pace Foundation.

"I knew this tour was going to be tough on my body and me because it is hard to straightaway get into match fitness and play matches," he said.

The man who left engineering to pursue a career in cricket said: "Right now, I am just concentrating on cricket, and cricket has been very hectic."

But in one corner of his heart is the desire to earn a degree in commerce.

"I am not getting enough time for studies. But yes, I'm trying to do my B. Com. (stuck in second year) for the last three years," said Zaheer, who likes to relax by listening to the Hindi songs of Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Lucky Ali and Jagjit Singh.

"It all depends on the mood -- if we win a match, we listen to rock also!"

In India's innings-and-52-run win over Pakistan in the first Test at Multan, Zaheer bowled 23 overs in the first innings before leaving the field with the recurrence of the hamstring problem, and did not take the field in the second innings.

Zaheer, however, said he had not lost heart and was looking ahead to the third and final Test at Rawalpindi starting on April 13.

"I am coping with all the pressures, and things are looking good," he said. "I am looking forward."

Lillee advised Zaheer, who bowls with a good high jump, to cut down on his leap because of the injury. In the first four matches of one-day series, Zaheer seemed to be following Lillee's advice and only bowled with a better rhythm in the fifth and final match.

"When I play matches, I don't pay attention to such things," Zaheer said of the instructions he gets from Lillee, Indian team coach John Wright and others.

On people offering him advice, he said: "You can ask 100-200 people, but ultimately it is you who is going to perform. So far as application is concerned, it all depends on you - you yourself are the best coach in the world."

Zaheer is hopeful that he will soon find his rhythm.

"As I will be playing more and more matches and bowling more and more overs, things will fall in place," he said. "I mean time will take care of these things."

And how does he look at the competition from youngsters like Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji?

"It's a very good thing that these youngsters, are performing for the country -- it's a positive thing," he said.

"Obviously, when you are representing India, the whole of the country is (dependent) on you. I think these responsibilities and pressures are always going to be there when you play at this level."