Zaheer Khan urges patience amid India's fast-bowling injury crisis

Gurnoor Brar picked up two wickets in the second innings. (BCCI | X)

TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: Indian cricket has been hit by a barrage of injuries in the last few weeks, with more than a dozen regular players currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) undergoing rehabilitation. Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan will miss the two Tests against Sri Lanka, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana were also unavailable when the selectors met to pick the squad for the assignment. It is far from an ideal situation for a side in a tight spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) table, but former India cricketer Zaheer Khan, who knows a thing or two about injuries from his playing days, urges patience. On the sidelines of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) final in Colombo, the Jaffna Kings co-owner spoke about workload management, the Mohammed Shami situation, India's most exciting young bowler, the debate between speed and craft, and more.

There are a lot of quick bowlers in the country right now. What do you think is more important: speed or craft? Everything is important. More importantly, it is about the phase in which you are playing. Every fast bowler starts differently, and then understanding and experience develop. That way, things are balanced for maximum output. So, both things are important. If someone is bowling fast and is able to maintain that pace for a long time while moving the ball, then that is a good thing. You don't need to think much about it. It feels good to see a young crop of fast bowlers who have the ability to bowl fast. That is a positive sign.

Shubman Gill and Gurnoor Brar during 3rd ODI against England, at Lord's in London on Sunday. (ANI Photo)

Which young bowler excites you the most? I have said this before. Gurnoor Brar has the ability. He was fast-tracked and has the ability to bowl fast. When I spent time with him at the CoE, I got a better idea of how he sees and understands things. He is an exciting player. You have to keep an eye on how he travels, and if things go well, you can expect a lot from him.

Can you talk about the camp you had with targeted fast bowlers at the CoE? When I played cricket, I used to like these types of conversations. The more you talk about cricket and different situations, the better you get. And the way of playing cricket hasn't changed. That's how I see it. I had a very good time interacting with the fast bowlers. It was very fruitful. The more conversations you have, the better idea you get. Discussions on different situations also help. So, it was a good time.

Your thoughts on the injury scene in Indian cricket right now? Injuries are part and parcel of the game. They are part and parcel of every individual's journey. You can talk about workload management, but you also need to understand the timing of events. You can see some things, but overall, you have to plan accordingly. If a fast bowler sustains an injury or goes through a difficult phase, it is very important to control the things in your hands. You have to control them properly. Until you know the root cause, you can't move forward.

What is your take on Mohammed Shami? If you were Shami, how would you continue motivating yourself? It is your decision, the way you want to move forward. If you are playing matches and performing well, you remain available. I see things that way. The team's thinking is different, but your way of thinking is important. If you want to contribute, it is your decision.

The way the team is looking at things and what is going on in the scheme of things, sometimes you can analyse how you are thinking. But how can you contribute to that? As a player, you should do what Shami is doing. He is playing. As you said, he is playing matches. That is important.

Talk to us about becoming a co-owner. It is very important to stay connected to cricket. I think cricket is one such thing that we understand. It is a part of our lives. You can say that you get satisfaction when you do things related to cricket. When it comes to development, it is like giving back to the game. The ICC is working with a lot of Associate nations, and a lot of effort is being made for cricket development. If you look at it that way, there will be a responsibility on Anchor Sports in terms of how they take things forward. The mindset is the same. If you can contribute to cricket in different ways, you can find a way to do that. Things started with that mindset. Team ownership is a part of it, but things may not be limited to that.