Harbhajan Singh: Zaheer Khan would be the best option for indian fast bowling coach

Zaheer has made a career out of the ability to swing the new ball and reverse the old one with surgical precision on the flat subcontinent pitches. His uncanny ability to bowl according to the situation in a given match and read the batsman's mind was what made him the lone-ranger in the Indian pace attack for a long time. Still fresh and fit even at the age of 39, Zaheer helped the younger pacers in the Daredevils set up to learn the crafts of his trade.

The BCCI had earlier thought along the same lines and approached the veteran to take up the said role, but Zaheer denied the offer to join the team on a full-time basis and had asked for Rs. 4 crore for 100 days' service in a year. Thinking, it was a very expensive deal, the board consequently decided against giving him a contract.

The 39-year-old, who was certainly the finest exponent of left-arm pace bowling the country has ever produced, is a veteran of 92 Tests and 200 ODI matches in which he has taken 311 and 282 wickets respectively. He also led Delhi Daredevils in the last two seasons of the IPL despite retiring from international cricket in 2015.