'Cricket is about proving myself'- Zaheer

In a pristine white track-suit, laying comfortably back in his bed, Zaheer Khan is a far cry from his on-field persona, huffing, puffing and sweating away as he runs in hard and hits the deck in search of wickets. It's often been said that he psyches himself up too much, especially in big games, but here, as Cricinfo pries him away from his PlayStation to have a chat, he's a picture of relaxation.

What are your aims for the Challenger Series?
I've got a few first-class matches here, as well as the Challenger Trophy. I'm coming into this series with some form and rhythm from county cricket in England and the hope is that I can keep that going.

How did your County stint - 78 wickets from 16 games - help?
The key areas in which County Cricket has helped is in getting fitness levels up. I'm not really doing anything differently with my bowling. It's a good grind because you have to bowl a lot of overs and you're playing six days a week. The rhythm builds up, and then as you pick up wickets the confidence also grows.

Have you done something different, to pick up all those wickets?
I was struggling with injuries. I really wasn't finding my rhythm. In the past senior bowlers have been advising me to play a full county season. I did that and it certainly did help overcome a lot of problems, especially with rhythm. Playing this season has definitely helped me grow as a bowler and as a cricketer. Overall I'd say I'm better conditioned now.

It's been whispered that you were dropped from the side because of attitude problems. Did the team management or selectors ever tell you this?
No. If it all there was a problem it was regarding my fitness, and that is something the team management has talked to me about, and it's something I'm aware of. I'm under the impression it was fitness issues that were the problem, and it is something I've been spoken to about time and time again. I was putting no weight, I had some injuries, my fitness was up and down , and it's something I've now taken responsibility for. I'm in much better shape now, and I've stayed injury-free all season.

There's been plenty of talk about your leap and your run-up. What have you tinkered with?
I've cut short my run-up and that has helped me a lot. Overall that has made the biggest difference. When you're playing as much cricket as we do you have to keep your fitness levels up.

You know some of these batsmen pretty well. Does that give you an edge?
The Challenger Series has always been about playing against the guys you usually play with. It's always been an important tournament in that performance here - you're among the best players in the country - counts a lot for selection to the one-day team.

From strike bowler to someone the team didn't want, it was quite a sharp transition. Did that make you angry?
For me cricket has always been about proving myself at the highest level. If things aren't going right for you, you just need to work harder and sort things out. You have to figure out what's going wrong where, and make a strong comeback. The bottom line is that you have to perform, and keep proving yourself, if you want to stay at the highest level.