Timely boost for Indians

 India will take on the West Indies at Lord’s for the first time since July 21, 1983, but in a vastly different format and era. The underdogs, who shocked the cricketing world by defeating the all-mighty Windies to lift the Prudential Cup 26 years ago, have since went on to become a super power on and off the field.

However, the masters from the Caribbean are still waiting for redemption after abdicating the throne to Australia, but Zaheer Khan said it would be naïve to take it easy against the West Indians.

What Zaheer had in his mind was the considerable firepower of Windies batting led by the explosive Chris Gayle. It came as no surprise then Zaheer wanted to scalp the West Indian skipper at the earliest.

“It will be good to take his wicket early because it will be helpful for the team. He is definitely a match winner. If we can get him out early we can control the West Indians,” Zaheer said.

The Mumbaikar said he was enjoying bowling in England since the pitches here offer something for the bowlers. “I really enjoy bowling in England. There is always something for fast bowlers here. It is one of things that you have favourites grounds, you have good memories and it helps you to perform better.”

The left-arm paceman said a bowler could not take his foot away from the pedal for even a moment in the T20 format. “In this format you just have to be on the button right from the start.

“So you just have to give your best. As a bowling unit we are clicking. Everyone understands his role and everyone is chipping in at the right time, which is crucial for the team going into the Super Eight.”

Zaheer was also of the opinion that Indian Premier League helped the men in blue a lot to prepare for the World T20 Championship. “IPL has definitely helped players. You see someone like Rohit Sharma, the kind of form he is in. It is good that we have been playing T20 format for the last five weeks coming into the championship. It has definitely helped us.”