Zaheer gets Indian award

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas was showered with praise here after being presented with the CEAT Lifetime Achievement award for his outstanding contribution to cricket.

Known as the Asian Bradman, Zaheer said that he felt honoured and privileged at receiving the recognition.

“It’s an honour. A player always feels special when he gets a lifetime achievement award. I am happy that I received such a big award,” said Zaheer.

“I hope that the Indian team also visits Pakistan for a series so that the bilateral cricketing ties between the two nations can improve.

“We also want to honour the past and present Indian players with such awards in Pakistan also,” he said.

Zaheer is currently in India to give expert comments for a TV channel on the ongoing series between Pakistan and India.

When asked about the future of MS Dhoni who is under fire following his team’s poor run in recent times, Zaheer said that the wicket-keeper should take a break from Twenty20 captaincy.

“He (Dhoni) should give up the Twenty20 format. He should be rested from the format as a captain. He should remain part of the cricket but as a captain of the ODI and Test formats. He is your Captain Cool and needs some time,” said Zaheer.

He also felt that the Indian players look jaded due to too much cricket.

“The Indian team is playing a lot of ODIs and Tests these days that your players look very tired. They don’t have any problem as such, it’s just they need some rest.

“If you give them some rest in the days to come, you will see them performing excellently again. Winning and losing is part of the game,” he said.

Zaheer believes India would have to wait for decades to find a replacement for the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

“It’s a big loss. The enormity of this loss is such that you can only be able to fill the gap in decades to come.”

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