Zaheer Khan, the former India fast bowler, was unlike several pacers from the country or maybe pacers in general, who have certain fire and aggression. When they run in, you know things will happen even after a ball is bowled or before it. Zaheer was aggressive in his celebrations, letting out occasional roars, but he wasn't the Mitchell Johnson getting-under-your-skin kind of bowler. But this incident, dating back to the 2007 tour of England during the second Test at Trent Bridge, brought the other side of Zaheer out, who took it upon himself to teach the British a page from their own book.
For you to get a grip on the whole incident, a little context from the opening Test of the series will be key. England were coming off a drawn clash at Lord's, which they should have won if not for rain washing out the whole final day when the visitors required 98 runs to win, with just one wicket left. So a missed opportunity of a win created a backlog of frustration, which built up even more after the hosts were shot out for 198 after batting first. The conditions changed dramatically when India came in to bat and the visitors posted a massive total of 481 runs on the board.
The incident took place at 464/7 when Zaheer Khan arrived in the middle and noticed a jelly bean being placed on the stumps, near the crease. Zaheer was quick to call it out and even placed Kevin Pietersen in the firing line soon enough. The umpires got involved. After the complaint, Zaheer mentioned that there were a few more thrown near the wicket after he played one ball. It might have been fun for England to do that, but the tempers which flared on the final day of the Lord's Test and continued in Nottingham didn't allow for this borderline-rude way to poke fun at someone.
Chris Tremlett, the England pacer, who was bowling at that time, later, relived the memory of the incident and stated, “When you’re in the field for two days you sometimes need to have a bit of fun, introduce something to ease some tension – it was just a shame that this was at the expense of the opposition and, to be honest, we probably chose the wrong man.” Tremlett mentioned that Zaheer picked the wrong guy as Ian Bell was probably behind planning and executing the whole thing.
Zaheer definitely didn't like and made it a point for England to pay for it. Captain Michael Vaughan scored a ton, but Zaheer ran through the English line-up, taking five wickets and fittingly dismissed Ian Bell for a two-ball duck. That moment was a key architect in India's famous series win against England on their home soil. England were bowled out for 355 and India chased down a paltry target of 73 with ease.
