New Delhi: With the experience of 92 Tests and 200 ODIs under his belt, Zaheer Khan is adept at handling pressure. The 36-year-old pacer though said he was “very nervous” playing his first game for Delhi Daredevils in IPL-8, saying he was “waiting for such kind of anxiety all of last year” when he sat out with one injury or the other.
On the day, Zaheer led the Delhi attack in their nine-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab, finishing with figures of 2/17 from four overs. “This was definitely not my best, but I feel happy with my performance today. Things will pick up as I bowl more and more,” said Zaheer after the game.
“To be honest, it wasn’t easy out there. I haven’t played for one year and I was waiting for this kind of pressure. I was happy to be on the field and enjoying that pressure again. It was good to have that feeling of having the batsman coming at you and you find your way around it. I was missing this kind of pressure,” he said. “We used our variations very nicely today and our plans did work out.” Zaheer said the win would boost Delhi’s campaign, and that they needed to perform consistently to advance to the knockout stage. “It is about winning eight games to qualify and we are half way there. Now, it’s about winning four out of the remaning six, he said.
