Former India pacer Zaheer Khan conducted a dedicated red-ball camp for the high-performance monitoring group at the Board of Control for Cricket in India Center of Excellence (CoE) on Monday, underscoring the board’s renewed focus on strengthening India’s fast bowling depth in the longest format.
Designed to hone high-performance skills, the three-day camp featured pacers from the India A and Under-19 set-ups. With a clear focus on Test-match readiness, the program focused on technical improvements, mental toughness and the finer details that define success in red-ball cricket.
“The BCCI CoE had the honor of imparting the wisdom of one of the best fast bowlers, Mr. Zaheer Khan, to the pacers of the high performance monitoring group,” BCCI said in a post on X.
“In this camp, which emphasized red-ball bowling, these players worked closely with a dedicated technical skill expert and also heard first-hand from him about the development of other aspects necessary to succeed in what is perhaps the most demanding discipline of cricket,” the management added.
CoE chief VVS Laxman spearheaded the initiative as part of a wider strategy to bring former greats into the development system. The aim is to mentor targeted players, new prospects from the India A and U-19 systems who are being groomed for future senior international roles.
The CoE is currently without a full-time fast bowling coach after Troy Cooley’s tenure ends in December 2025, so Zaheer’s involvement is timely as India look to build a permanent pipeline of Test-ready fast bowlers.
Participants included fast bowlers from various state associations and high-powered scouting groups currently on the radar of national voters. Accessing Zaheer’s experience, particularly handling overseas conditions and long spells in tough Tests, offered valuable insights.
Zaheer was part of the Indian team that shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka and won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He took 597 wickets in 303 international matches, including 311 in Tests and 269 in ODIs, and finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker at the 2011 World Cup with 21 wickets at an average of 18.76.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
03 March 2026 11:44 IST
