MUMBAI: Former India pacer Zaheer Khan feels that the Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya should ignore the constant heckling he has received from the fans and “let his game speak” to turn them in his favour.
“What is happening with Hardik at this stage is a sign of franchise cricket evolving. They (fans) are emotional, they want to express themselves… When the individual represents the country, it will again go back to the normal.Every athlete (should) understand that it’s ultimately the trophies you win, the performances you put out, putting your body on the line, showing dedication, determination and you will be able to win their hearts,” said Zaheer.
During an interaction, Zaheer dwelled at length on who will make into the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and he has “no doubt about Rishabh Pant being picked in the squad”.
“I’m happy with how he is progressing. When the question was posed to me before the IPL, I wasn’t that confident (about his successful return) especially with him away from the game for such a long time. But he has quickly got into the groove and has shown that he hasn’t lost his touch. Also, if you see what the Indian team is looking for, then it’s of a wicketkeeper who can bat in the middle order,” explained Zaheer.
He also felt that, though Mohammed Siraj is going through a lean phase in the IPL, he should make it to the World Cup squad to partner Jasprit Bumrah with Mohammed Shami still recovering after his Achilles tendon surgery.
He said Arshdeep Singh, who is doing well in the IPL and has done well in the past for India, has a good chance of making the cut but he also likes what other left-arm pacers — Mohsin Khan, Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Dayal — have dished out. He added: “If Hardik is fit and available to bowl then he also adds depth and balance to the bowling attack.”
Zaheer on pacers Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik
“It’s not that everyone can come up and bowl that quick, if you have ability to bowl quick then that’s a gift and you should really value that gift and do the rest of the things around it for you to be able to sustain it.”
Impact sub halting progress of half allrounders, feels Zaheer
There is a lot of debate surrounding the ‘Impact Player’ rule in the IPL which many feel is sounding a death knell for the development of Indian allrounders.
Thanks to the rule, the teams have the luxury of playing an additional specialist bowler instead of a player who can chip in with the ball when required. It also takes away the pressure of getting the combination right.
The case in point is Chennai Super Kings’ Shivam Dube, who hasn’t rolled his arm over this edition but has made a mark as an ‘impact sub’. That he hasn’t bowled at all may go against him when the national selectors sit down to pick India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
India skipper Rohit Sharma stirred up the debate when he too said that he is not a ‘big fan’ of the rule and it’s halting the development of Indian allrounders while speaking on the Club Prairie Podcast co-hosted Adam Gilchirst and Michael Vaughan.
His former teammate Zaheer Khan said that he is “in sync” with what Rohit said about allrounders in IPL. He went on to add that at some point we can find a “genuine allrounder like Ben Stokes” but it will halt the progress of “half allrounders”- the ones who can consistently chip in with the ball besides their batting duties.
“I agree with Rohit on that front because of ‘impact sub’ you can make do with the luxury of not having an allrounder. You can have a specialist bowler (to) create that balance. It will affect the find or the progress when you are looking at the half allrounders,” said Zaheer, who is an IPL expert on JioCinema, during a virtual interaction on Thursday.
“What is happening with Hardik at this stage is a sign of franchise cricket evolving. They (fans) are emotional, they want to express themselves… When the individual represents the country, it will again go back to the normal.Every athlete (should) understand that it’s ultimately the trophies you win, the performances you put out, putting your body on the line, showing dedication, determination and you will be able to win their hearts,” said Zaheer.
During an interaction, Zaheer dwelled at length on who will make into the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and he has “no doubt about Rishabh Pant being picked in the squad”.
“I’m happy with how he is progressing. When the question was posed to me before the IPL, I wasn’t that confident (about his successful return) especially with him away from the game for such a long time. But he has quickly got into the groove and has shown that he hasn’t lost his touch. Also, if you see what the Indian team is looking for, then it’s of a wicketkeeper who can bat in the middle order,” explained Zaheer.
He also felt that, though Mohammed Siraj is going through a lean phase in the IPL, he should make it to the World Cup squad to partner Jasprit Bumrah with Mohammed Shami still recovering after his Achilles tendon surgery.
He said Arshdeep Singh, who is doing well in the IPL and has done well in the past for India, has a good chance of making the cut but he also likes what other left-arm pacers — Mohsin Khan, Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Dayal — have dished out. He added: “If Hardik is fit and available to bowl then he also adds depth and balance to the bowling attack.”
Zaheer on pacers Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik
“It’s not that everyone can come up and bowl that quick, if you have ability to bowl quick then that’s a gift and you should really value that gift and do the rest of the things around it for you to be able to sustain it.”
Impact sub halting progress of half allrounders, feels Zaheer
There is a lot of debate surrounding the ‘Impact Player’ rule in the IPL which many feel is sounding a death knell for the development of Indian allrounders.
Thanks to the rule, the teams have the luxury of playing an additional specialist bowler instead of a player who can chip in with the ball when required. It also takes away the pressure of getting the combination right.
The case in point is Chennai Super Kings’ Shivam Dube, who hasn’t rolled his arm over this edition but has made a mark as an ‘impact sub’. That he hasn’t bowled at all may go against him when the national selectors sit down to pick India’s squad for the T20 World Cup.
India skipper Rohit Sharma stirred up the debate when he too said that he is not a ‘big fan’ of the rule and it’s halting the development of Indian allrounders while speaking on the Club Prairie Podcast co-hosted Adam Gilchirst and Michael Vaughan.
His former teammate Zaheer Khan said that he is “in sync” with what Rohit said about allrounders in IPL. He went on to add that at some point we can find a “genuine allrounder like Ben Stokes” but it will halt the progress of “half allrounders”- the ones who can consistently chip in with the ball besides their batting duties.
“I agree with Rohit on that front because of ‘impact sub’ you can make do with the luxury of not having an allrounder. You can have a specialist bowler (to) create that balance. It will affect the find or the progress when you are looking at the half allrounders,” said Zaheer, who is an IPL expert on JioCinema, during a virtual interaction on Thursday.
