VVS Laxman: Zaheer Khan will be very good in moulding young Indian fast bowlers
VVS Laxman: Zaheer Khan will be very good in moulding young Indian fast bowlers
Zaheer Khan is arguably the finest pace bowler India produced in the 21st century. Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman, who played a lot alongside Zaheer, revealed to Shiamak Unwalla that there was more to the pacer than his bowling skills. Laxman spoke about how Zaheer had immense knowledge of the game, and how all that information sometimes went against Zaheer — at least when it came to his batting! Laxman elaborated that Zaheer had his own ideas about batting and that he would alter his technique between series, sometimes to no avail. Laxman also spoke of Zaheer’s skill, the benefits his stint with Worcestershire had, and his favourite Zaheer spell. READ: VVS Laxman: Reminiscing Zaheer Khan as he bids adieu to International Cricket
As VVS Laxman himself put it, “when you play together for so long, you become like family.” And yet, in every family there are some relatives you are closer to than others. While talking to Laxman about Zaheer Khan, one gets the feeling that the bond shared between them is closer than most teammates would have with each other. It is not hard to see why that is; when Laxman scored the monumental 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens in 2001, Zaheer happened to be his roommate. It was Zaheer who gave Laxman confidence and motivation just before the innings. What followed, of course, is a part of Indian folklore. Likewise, in 2008 when Australia toured India, Laxman had failed to get a big score in the first two Tests. Zaheer told Laxman ahead of the third Test at Feroz Shah Kotla that he was looking good for a big score, and sure enough Laxman went on to score an unbeaten 200. WATCH: VVS Laxman: Virender Sehwag respected lot of bowlers, but he never spared them
Laxman gave a heartfelt and very personal message to Zaheer, urging him to continue his association with Indian cricket and to help mould young Indian fast bowlers. READ: Zaheer Khan: During 2007-2011 he was one of the best in the world
Watch VVS Laxman speak about Virender Sehwag
Watch VVS Laxman answer round of quick fire questions!
(Shiamak Unwalla, reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)