We catch fast bowler Zaheer Khan aka Zak on love and being liberal in the month of love
We catch fast bowler Zaheer Khan aka Zak on love and being liberal in the month of love
Adjudged the Man Of The Match as well as the Man Of The Series in the just-concluded India-Bangladesh (2010) Test series, Zaheer Khan is on a high. We meet Zak for a few quick overs on life and sport.
Four years ago, you started ZK's, a multi-cuisine restaurant in Pune. Has it becomeu00a0 necessary for a cricketer to become a businessman because a cricketer's professional life is not life-long?
I love the game and want to be a cricketer all my life; but, at the end of the day, it's a physical game. At some stage, one has to let go of the game. But life goes on, so you need to have some interest other than cricket. I was injured towards the end of 2003 in Australia and thereafter I had series of injuries which kept me away from the game. It set me thinking and I began a restaurant. I am in the process of starting another ZK's and yet another restaurant too. I am a complete foodie.
Have you ever cooked for the team?
Never. But when I was playing county season, I would make pasta for myselfu00a0it is the easiest thing to cooku00a0 and tea and omelette for breakfast.
You are also planning a fashion line.
Yeah. I feel one should have different dimensions to one's personality.
Do you have a fashion statement?
Well, I enjoy wearing nice clothes; the emphasis is on comfort. I like to wear jeans and T-shirts.u00a0 I like linen too though it crumples very fast (laughs).
Do you have a ritual when you go to the field?
I always put my left shoe on first, and then the right shoe.
What goes on in your head when you are running down the pitch to bowl?
I like to be calm when I am running down the pitch. My bowling is all about rhythm; it is important to be in the right mental zone to get the ball in the right area.
And what are your thoughts in a crisis situation?
You just have to stay calm in a crisis.
What happens in the dressing room when you win a series?
We make noise, play loud music, both English and Bollywood, cut a cake ...
Open a bottle of champagne?
Yes.
If you were made the DJ after a win, what music would you play?
Dhan te nan from Kaminey. I like the song.
You are a left-hander bowler and a right-hand batsman. What else is uncommon about you?
I am a fast bowler who likes to listen to slow songs at times. I like the songs of My Name Is Khan and 3 Idiots, especially Give me some sunshine.
Why are you single at 31?
I think I can do justice to one thing at a time (laughs). Right now, it's cricket.
But you are not playing cricket 365 days a year, are you?
In fact, we are playing 365 days a year.
Your romance with Isha Sharvani is much speculated about.
I have always kept my personaly life under wras and I like to keep it that way.
But you enjoy female attention?
Yes, I do. Who doesn't?
How would you describe your views on women?
I'm a Libran and a liberal. Every individual, man or woman, must get an opportunity to do whatever they want to do in life and enjoy the freedom of expression.
Who do you bond with amongst players?
I'm close to Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Yuvraj Singh. We chill out together, go out for dinner. We enjoy each other's company. We plan vacations but seldom get down to going for them.
The stress levels must be super high.
I enjoy the game and so you accept what comes with the job. And if you have a long career, you are bound to come across setbacks. For instance, I had a series of injuries. When a sportsman misses matches due to injuries, it is tough on himu00a0... it can be frustrating. However, I am an optimist. I feel as long as you can control the control-ables you will do a good job.
I think even more anxiety-producing is being dropped from a match. Like you were dropped after the 2006 tour to Pakistan.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. When I was dropped from the team, I got a chance to play the county season in Worcestershire, England. That was the biggest turnaround in my career. I got to learn a lot about my own game, my bowling and that has helped me a lot.
Recently, you had another turnaround a fantastic India-Bangladesh series.
I love cricket...I like it when I go out there and my bowling spell helps to win matches. It's a great feeling when the team wins.
Cricketers, like film-stars, are overpaid. Comment.
When you do well for the country, the rest follows. If that means more money coming in, then why not? Do you enjoy a five-day test as a spectator?
I dou2026 not as a spectator, but as a player.
Not as a spectator...?
I guess I will be a better judge of that when I watch the game after retiring (laughs). The bottom line is that I enjoy playing cricket in any form.
From five-day matches to T20s. People joke that next the toss will decide the winner of the game.
Strange but true, my introduction to cricket was with 10-over matches played with a tennis ball in my home town, Shrirampur.
Shrirampur is next to Shirdi.
Yeah, I go to Shirdi quite often. I do believe in a higher power.
When you look up to the skies after capturing a crucial wicket, who do you thank?
I thank Allah, and I call my parents later.
Which countries have the most cricket-savvy crowds?
Australia and England. And in India, cricket is a religion.
Name some career milestones
Milestones are the by-product of the process. I enjoy playing all forms of cricket and that is what I want to continue to do. I do not really want to limit myself to a number like 300 test wickets etc.
Some skeptics feel that Indian sportsmen lack the killer instinct.
I can only speak for my times. In the last three years, we have achieved quite a lot as a team. In fact, we have progressed a lot in our cricketing achievements since the time Iu00a0 made my debut.
How will you approach the coming IPL?
I approach every match with the 'I want to win it' attitude.
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