NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought the services of Zaheer Khan to nurture the next batch of fast bowlers in the country. TOI has learned that the former India fast bowler plans to hold specialized training camps at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru in the first week of March. The CoE has been without a fast bowling coach after Troy Cooley ended a four-year tenure as bowling coach in December when he turned 60. The BCCI invited applications for the role on February 9. The board has not yet announced Cooley’s replacement.
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“A group of fast bowlers has been invited by the state associations for a special fast-bowling camp from February 28 to March 2 at the CoE in Bengaluru under the leadership of Zaheer. The head of cricket at the CoE VVS Laxman has taken great interest in the initiative,” a BCCI source told TOI. “Zaheer is very keen to take on coaching roles. He has joined Lucknow Super Giants and believes he can help the next generation of cricketers. It is a good sign that a fast bowler of his stature has shown interest in BCCI programmes. But it remains to be seen if he wants to work full-time in the CoE as it will require a lot of family time.” India’s fast-bowling resources have dwindled over the past three years. There were very few options in each format. The red ball format in particular has been an area of concern for the selectors and management of the Indian team. The job description in the BCCI’s call for applications stated that the CoE expects its coaches to work closely with the Indian team’s support staff and devise programs to train fast bowlers. BCCI prefers domestic coaches to work in the Indian team. The board is usually made up of coaches who come through the system and understand the players who come through. Gautam Gambhir’s coaching team currently has only Sitanshu Kotak who worked with NCA (now CoE) for a while. It will be interesting to see how much Zaheer wants to commit to working in the CoE or even leading the Indian team.
