A couple of months ago Zaheer Khan was tipped to be India's bowling coach once Gautam Gambhir took over the reins of the national team.
Zaheer declined since he felt he wasn’t considered for the “right role”. A few weeks later, the former India fast bowler got a call from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka and agreed to be the mentor.
“I wasn’t considered for the right role... I’m saying that I would love to be the head coach of the Indian team and that is something I’ll look forward to. But right now I know I’m in the right place for the right reason,” Zaheer told The Telegraph at RPSG House on Wednesday.
“All the things which I’ve done, I’ve done it with a long-term vision. So here also, there’s no exception to that. I’m looking at this association to go a long way,” the 45-year-old said.
Having worked with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022, first as director of cricket before taking on the role of head of global development, Zaheer knows the intricacies of working in franchise cricket.
“Mumbai Indians, one of the most successful franchises, have been around for a long time and it’s been a fruitful journey, a very fulfilling one,” he said.
The challenges of working with a three-year-old franchise like LSG, who have made the playoffs twice, are different but Zaheer is optimistic since the “building blocks are in place”.
“LSG are a relatively young franchise but they have not been looked upon like that. They have made a lot of progress... They are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The consistency of reaching playoffs, which is so tough in this fiercely-contested competition, is something that gives me a lot of confidence...
“Yes, the process is something which will be my responsibility. I will be closely looking at LSG to go to the next level. Hopefully this season is going to be the special one and the beginning of something very, very special for us.”
Zaheer’s presence will mean LSG can make up for Morne Morkel, who left the franchise to join Gambhir’s support staff as bowling coach.
Is he concerned with the injuries to India’s top-ranked fast bowlers and emerging prospects like Umran Malik and Mayank Yadav?
“I don’t think Umran Malik is injured... He’s just not been getting the right opportunities,” he said.
“Fast bowling is not an easy job. Injuries are a part and parcel of being a fast bowler. You’ve seen that someone like Jasprit Bumrah has also been out for a while.
“It’s about how you learn to manage yourself. It’s about how you deal with those things. Jofra Archer is another example who has been struggling with injuries, but now he’s back. So fast bowling as a discipline has its challenges and it’s about getting the right advice, right guidance and putting in that much time and energy.”
He doesn’t feel the inclination for limited-overs cricket will hamper the progress of the promising India pacers in the longer format. An Arshdeep Singh, who has been hugely successful in limited overs, has played only 16 first-class matches.
“Not at all... I have always been of this opinion that Test cricket and white ball cricket should run parallel. And it’s about having that kind of approach and planning. It’s all part of planning and having that strategy in place. That’s how you look at utilising the resources at your disposal. Arshdeep’s example which you gave me is the right one because he needs to be progressed to Test cricket as well.”
Goenka didn't disclose much about about his team’s retention plans and captain KL
Rahul’s future though he mentioned their captain to be “like family”.
