In an exclusive interview, the 30-year old spoke about his evolution as a fast bowler, his relationship with his captain Mujthab Rahman, his mindset when it comes to bowling and how he came to be one of the best fielders in the team, among other things.
You made your FCC debut in 2011, and now you are leading bowler for FCC- how would you differentiate yourself with the other bowlers?
I am a different bowler to what I was in India. I had only played domestic cricket and had success there. But I realized that international cricket requires a different level. Even though it was only in Qatar, I learnt that you had to be at the batsmen all the time, how you needed to vary your lengths, how your training and preparation had to be top notch, and how everything around the match needed to be so much better. And due to that, I improved as a bowler, and continue to do so.
Regarding domestic cricket, a lot of wickets there are green tops, unlike what you have seen in Qatar, how does that affect a fast bowler's development?
Of course, the pitches are different. Here in Qatar, they are a lot slower than what I am used to in India. But a pacer is good everywhere - even a green pitch is a good one of us. On a pitch that doesn't move much, you rely on your straighter balls, the ball skids a lot more if there is grass, so you get both the bowled and LBW into the game. And if you are able to get the odd ball to swing, that creates the doubt in the batsman's mind. So even a grassy pitch can be an advantage for a fast bowler.
A fast bowler is always an aggressive bowler, and I am like that, too. Even a captain realizes that a fast bowler is a wicket-taking option only, and he utilizes him that way, regardless of the pitch.
You have developed a in-swing yorker over the past year, how did that come about?
I always want to keep improving, to continue to be a better bowler every day. And the in-swing yorker comes under that. Mujthab and I have been working on it for six months or so now, and we are 60-70% there. Hopefully, I will keep getting better at it. I want to bowl that ball with a repeatable action so I have control over it, and an action which is not dissimilar to my natural action so the batsman can't pick it up, too.
I always want to keep improving, to continue to be a better bowler every day. And the in-swing yorker comes under that. Mujthab and I have been working on it for six months or so now, and we are 60-70% there. Hopefully, I will keep getting better at it. I want to bowl that ball with a repeatable action so I have control over it, and an action which is not dissimilar to my natural action so the batsman can't pick it up, too.
Azhar and Fahad may not be there but you've still got a pretty good support around you. Especially the resurgent Jashmeer.
All of us bowlers work in tandem. Jashmeer, Mujthab, Naeem, we all work together. If I bowl a maiden, they'll back me up with another maiden. If I am going for too much and concede runs, then in the next over these guys will provide control from the other end and stop runs, thus minimizing the damage from my over. This allows me to focus on the next over and not to worry about the previous over.
The thing with Jashmeer is that whenever he goes on to the field, he does everything he possibly can. Every time he goes out there, he wants to create an impact. And every time he goes out there, he puts in everything he has. He never holds back.
Finally, in a country where most bowlers just believe in practicing their one discipline, you are also one of the finest fielders in the country. How did that come about?
When I was 10 or 11, I used to go to the cricket ground. A cousin of mine was there, and the first time I went to the ground, he only made me do fielding practice. He would throw the ball to one side and I would dive and catch it. Then he would throw it to the other and I would do the same. Remember this was the time when Jonty Rhodes was a big thing, and everyone wanted to be like him. So I threw myself around, and I enjoyed it. And that's all I did for three or four months.
Before I started to bat, and then bowl, I spent months just doing fielding and catching. That's what made me interested in this, and I became passionate about it. It's the same with my bowling, if you enjoy your discipline and you are passionate about it, God helps you. You just do all that you can, the rest is up to fate.
