Zaheer Khan appeals unsuccessfully for an lbw against Alastair Cook , India v England, 2nd Test, Mohali, 3rd day, December 21, 2008
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan take part in a practice session a day before Mumbai's Ranji Trophy semi-final against Saurashtra, Chennai, January 3, 2008
Zaheer Khan
india
players profile
Full name Zaheer Khan
Born October 7, 1978, Shrirampur, Maharashtra
Current age 30 years 89 days
Major teams India, Asia XI, Asia XI, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Baroda, Mumbai, Surrey, Worcestershire
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium
Profile
Like Waqar Younis a decade before, Zaheer Khan yorked his way into the collective consciousness of the cricket world: his performances at the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in September 2000 announced the arrival of an all-too-rare star in the Indian fast-bowling firmament. He might just as easily have come from the Pakistani pace stable: well-built, quick and unfazed by a batsman's reputation, Zaheer could move the ball both ways off the wicket and swing the old ball at some pace. After initially struggling to establish himself as a new-ball bowler, he came of age on the 2002 tour of the West Indies, when he led the line with great heart. His subsequent displays in England and New Zealand - not to mention some eye-catching moments at the World Cup - established him at the forefront of India's new pace generation, but a hamstring injury saw him relegated to bit-part performer as Indian cricket scripted some of its finest moments away in Australia and Pakistan. After that, his pace has dropped and his attitude was questioned, as a new breed of pace bowlers pushed him aside to move to the front of the queue. Zaheer's response was to head to Worcestershire and take 78 wickets in the 2006 county season, a performance that earned him a recall for the tour of South Africa. He was the perfect foil for Sreesanth there, and he then regained his status as leader of the pack with a matchwinning display at Trent Bridge, as India won only their fifth Test on English soil.
Dileep Premachandran
