Zaheer is improving gradually

Chennai, Feb. 21 (PTI): Zaheer Khan thinks the Duleep Trophy match against North Zone beginning on Saturday will give him a chance to assess his condition before the trip to Pakistan.

The left-arm seamer injured a hamstring in Australia and is currently training hard to regain full fitness at the MRF Pace Foundation under the watchful eyes of Dennis Lillee.

Zaheer said he is gradually getting back in rhythm. “Until I bowl flat out from my usual run up, I do not want to talk much about fitness. It is human body and no one can predict what is going to happen. “It is not that I am not fit or half fit. I want to get to my usual full flow,” he said after Saturday’s training session.

“It is a sort of recovery process after my hamstring injury. I am building up slowly. Like, today I bowled with a longer run up and am feeling more comfortable than what I felt last week.” He felt the wickets in Pakistan would be like the ones in India.

Jawagal Srinath, who watched Zaheer train alongside Ashish Nehra, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Irfan Pathan, said the Baroda star is learning how to cope with injuries.

“Fast bowling is hard. No bowler is injury-free. Everyone has to go through it. How to get back to their form after an injury is a learning process,” Srinath said.

“The pacers are all professionals and have a sense of commitment. They are all in the right place and Dennis is the best person to teach the art of fast bowling. These four have shown great attitude all the time.

“Zaheer is our No. 1 bowler and Irfan is the new find. He is an extremely exciting talent and appears to be the best amongst the youngsters available.” Srinath said. Lillee suggested some changes in Balaji’s action and technique. “He is pushing the ball while delivering and he has to go straight instead of turning his wrist.”

“Irfan has few problems. He has to be worked on a long-term basis. We will wait and work on them,” he said.