If cricket fans are asked to name the top three Indian fast bowlers of all-time, the chances of Zaheer Khan’s name featuring in majority of the lists is as high as anybody else’s. Zaheer was arguably the best left-arm seamer to have represented India and also one of the main architects of India’s World Cup triumph in 2011 along with former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. When former India batsman VVS Laxman stated last week that he would be paying tributes to some of the great Indian cricketers he has played with, there was no doubt that Zaheer’s name would feature in it. On Monday after Zaheer had lauded the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh, it finally did.
Laxman said Zaheer, who made his India debut in the ICC Knockout in 2000 in Kenya, said the former Indian pacer’s journey from “tiny” Shrirampur to the “dizzy heights of success” illustrated the strength of his character.
“Daring to dream big and determined to chase those dreams, Zaheer Khan’s journey from tiny Shrirampur to the dizzy heights of success illustrated the strength of his character. His career-defining county stint at Worcester reiterated his desire to reinvent himself and shed comfort zones,” Laxman said in a tweet.
One of the finest exponents of reverse swing, Zaheer represented India in three ODI World Cups in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He was India’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps to his name in the 2011 World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}One of the finest exponents of reverse swing, Zaheer represented India in three ODI World Cups in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He was India’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps to his name in the 2011 World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}Zaheer also had a county stint with Worcestershire and the county season helped the pacer to further enhance his skills and make a comeback to the Indian side after being dropped in 2004. He picked up 10 wickets on debut for the county, becoming the first player in over a hundred years to achieve the feat.
The pacer played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is for India, managing to pick up 601 wickets across all the three formats.
Zaheer decided to retire from international cricket in 2016.