Zak is better than Jimmy Anderson: Ishant Sharma lauds Zaheer Khan

Ishant Sharma stoked the proverbial fire of controversy when in a recent interview he stated Zaheer Khan was a better bowler than James Anderson, hinting that the England legend probably would not have been that successful if he plied his trade in Indian conditions.
“Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. May be if he played in India…,” he said in the Ranveer Show and paused before the host added, “Maybe he wouldn’t have found that kind of success.”
Ishant would then go on to add, “Zak (Zaheer Khan). Zak is better than Jimmy Anderson.”
In the same interview, Sharma picked Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar as three bowlers, who if guided “properly” will carry forward the baton from the current Indian pace attack.
“If you work properly with him, Umran Malik has the potential to do well for the country for a long period of time. The second would be Arshdeep Singh and third for me is Mukesh Kumar,” he said.
Ishant also made a special mention of his Delhi Capitals teamamte Mukesh Kumar, who has been picked for the Test and ODI series against West Indies.
“Not many people know his (Mukesh Kumar) story, but I haven’t seen a man as simple as him. If you ask him to bowl a particular delivery, he will bowl only that!” he said.
“He needs the right guidance on the field so that when the pressure situation comes, he knows what delivery to bowl.
“He went for runs in IPL because he bowled the tough overs. No one sees the situation in which he bowled, or which batsman he bowled to. Everyone sees that he conceded 50 runs in 4 overs.
“When Russell is playing and they’ve lost 8 wickets, what does he have to lose? If you even fail to execute one yorker, he will hit you for a six. No one notices these things. If he’s guided properly, he can become a very good fast bowler,” Ishant added.