“My fitness let me down but I am working on it to get back into the Indian squad,” says one of the best swing bowlers of India, Zaheer Khan. He has worked on his fitness keeping in mind his keenness to play World Cup 2015.
Zaheer is looking to perform well in domestic circuit so that he can get a call for national team as soon as possible.
Zaheer was quoted by DNA saying, "Everybody wants to represent the country. If I am fit and can meet the demands, things should fall in place. My fitness has let me down and I am working on it. My next big test would be the domestic season. I want to get back into the Indian team."
Zaheer last featured in Indian team almost a year ago in the Test series against England where he failed miserably and picked up just four wickets in the couple of matches that he played. After that, he suffered a calf injury which worsened the matter for this left-arm pace-man as he couldn’t make his comeback against the Aussies. He did play a couple of matches in Indian Premier League in 2013 but that wasn’t enough to reserve his berth in the Indian team.
He had a great time with his trainer Tim Exeter in France as he helped him getting his fitness levels back which is going to be a key factor in his comeback. Exeter has stressed more on being injury-free rather than just the training and that’s why a better result can be expected in the case of Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh. Apart from that he is learning yoga from BKS Iyengar which is proving to be a boon for him.”
He was quoted by The Hindu saying, "It was a good conditioning outing. We (Zaheer and Yuvraj Singh) worked on fitness.”
"I think we went to the right guy. Tim knows what every sportsperson needs in this competitive world. This was the first phase of my conditioning. We will go to South Africa early next month. I plan to work on fielding and bowling there."
"He (Iyengar) has been an inspiration and his yoga has helped me in many ways," said Zaheer.
He also praised youngsters for doing so well especially when the senior members are not in the squad to guide them.
He was quoted by Deccan Chronicle saying, "Youngsters doing well is a good sign for Indian cricket," he said.
"And if the seniors do the same, then you become a champion side. There is no threat. Competition only helps you do your best," he concluded.