Last match that Zaheer played was in Kolkata - Test Match against England.in which he had bowled only 31 overs and taken a solo wicket. Zaheer has a chronic issue of fitness and that is why he has never been consistent in the team for a long time. Even for the matches he has played, fitness on the field has mostly been the issue and hence he has not been able to throw long spells.
After not getting selected for National Cricket Team Zaheer went abroad to France for a fitness trip along with Yuvraj Singh. Both have been back recently and in a press conference both have announced about each other's fitness and readiness to join Indian Team. In fact Zaheer has been reported to lose 6 kgs of his weight during this fitness session in France.
More important is again how he performs on field rather than his fitness claims. His consistent performance is also very important in forthcoming 4-5 domestic matches (if he gets a chance) and then he can claim for his place in national team for SA tour. Also critical is that during his absence so many more talented bowlers have got a chance to demonstrate their skills and hence are strong contenders for their place in the team.
Bowlers like Siddharth Kaul from Punjab, Ishwar Chand Pandey from Pune, Stuart Binny from Karnataka, Jaydev Unadkat from Saurashtra, Umesh Yadav from Maharashtra, Ashok Dinda from Kolkata, Mohammed Shami from Kolkata and many more in the making are giving strong competition to Zaheer. Big question is whether to give a place to Zaheer for a couple of years more or give a chance to more talented newcomers to groom them for the forthcoming International challenges.
