One of the most loved commentators in the country, Harsha Bhogle has had to settle to blogs, tweets, and interviews this IPL season as he no more a part of the commentary panel for the competition.
However, he has been providing his insight into the game on social media and has recently spoken about the future of Indian cricket.
Bhogle felt that Delhi Daredevils skipper and former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has all the makings of coaching the Indian national team in years to come.
The Delhi franchise have had a great start to their current Premier League season with 3 wins out of 4 games and his is down to a number of changes made by the club.
The domestic Indian contingent in the squad is strong with the likes of Karun Nair, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer all showcasing their quality at the highest level.
They have also appointed Rahul Dravid as a mentor for the club and according to Harsha, the combination of Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid has worked wonders for the Delhi franchise.
Writing for a column in the Times of India, Harsha wrote, ““Rahul Dravid’s approach, even at the Rajasthan Royals, was to pick talent and show it the way, rather than pick expensive match-winners.”
“At DD, he has a very talented core in Shreyas Iyer, Mayank Agarwal, Sanju Samson and Karun Nair and, indeed, in Quinton de Kock who is a precocious talent,” he added.
He also spoke about what Dravid gets to the team. He revealed that the biggest strength of the mentor is to let the young players play to their strengths and that it will help not only the franchise but also the Indian national team in getting the youngsters ready for a call-up.
Dravid won’t look down on ramp shots or reverse sweeps and will largely, let young batsmen play to their strengths. And he is aware that there is a genuine T20 match-winner in JP Duminy to turn to in case the top-order falters,” he added.
He was also all praises for the club’s decision to give Zaheer Khan the captaincy. He felt that the mindset of the former Indian fast bowler will help the bowlers in the squad and that the likes of Mohammad Shami will get a chance to get back into the national side.
“I also believe it was a master stroke to appoint Zaheer Khan as captain. He has been a bowling captain for a long time and seems to have time for other bowlers. His handling of Mohammed Shami will benefit Indian cricket,” Harsha felt.
He also went on to say that the clubs decision about the skipper will make sure that Zaheer Khan is not at the end of his career but that this is the start of something new for the fast bowler.
“By giving him the job, the Daredevils have ensured that he isn’t just playing out the last chapter of his career but, in effect, starting the first chapter of another.”
He signed off by saying that Zak has all the makings of becoming a coach for India in the near future.
I have no doubt at all in my mind that Zaheer Khan will be an India coach in the not-too-distant future and the IPL is a great training ground for him,” Harsha added.