Progress steady,but slow

In the middle of the race to reach peak physical condition,Zaheer Khan was cruising on the Pune-Mumbai expressway when...

In the middle of the race to reach peak physical condition,Zaheer Khan was cruising on the Pune-Mumbai expressway when his long-time late-order batting companion Harbhajan Singh was engineering Indias recovery against Australia on Sunday. With Zaheer on his way home after playing the West Zone T20 tournament his first competitive cricket after a shoulder surgery in South Africa he missed the final stages of the thrilling game in Vadodara.

But more than Zaheer,it was Team India who have been missing the left-arm seamer since he was sidelined during the IPL. His absence doesnt just make the home side short of a reliable pace spearhead,but also a mentor at mid-on when Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar are bowling. Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been keen to get Zaheer back into the line-up,but the paceman said on Monday that his return would take a little while longer.

lll be playing Mumbais Ranji Trophy game starting on November 3. I played T20 last week but I have to get a four-day game under my belt so that I can bowl more overs. I cannot really predict how my body will feel as each day is different for my shoulder,but Im hoping itll hold up, Zaheer told The Indian Express.

He added that his recovery after being operated in mid-July had been rapid,but there were a few boxes still left to be ticked before he could walk out in an India shirt again. I need to build on my bowling fitness. Throwing is still a concern as well and Im working on it. I need to build my rhythm. From the first game I played during this T20 tournament to the fourth game,I was feeling much better. But I need to bowl more to regain my peak bowling condition and my confidence.

Zaheers rehab has come a long way since he started rolling his arm over a month ago. My club is playing the local Times Shield in Mumbai,and I can spend time with them at the nets. Ive been put on a strength-training programme and on a throwing programme, he said.

As Zaheer will be at the Bandra-Kurla nets,away from the spotlight,the media glare on Tuesday will be on the other pacemen in Nagpur. The last time Australia had come here,Zaheer had repeatedly given India the early breakthroughs. He twice dismissed an Aussie opener for a duck and two more times before they reached double figures. Things started in similar fashion in Vadodara as Ashish Nehra dismissed Shane Watson early,but a score of 292 meant the bowling department didnt go for the kill after the early strike.

When Zaheer was asked how he was dealing with being on the sidelines of a tense India-Australia series,he said: These situations are frustrating at times but one needs to be patient and control the controlables. Dhoni could have said the same words if he was asked how desperate he was to see Zaheer opening the Indian attack.