Top 7 memorable moments of Zaheer Khan's international career

Zaheer Khan, who celebrates his 36th birthday today, is the only genuinely world class fast bowler India has had over the last decade. Zaheer burst onto the scene during the ICC KnockOut tournament, now known as the Champions Trophy, in 2000, where he took 7 wickets from 4 games, and he hasn’t looked back since then.He was genuinely quick to start off, often touching speeds close to 150 kmph, but he has had to unfortunately cut down on his pace with time as a result of numerous injuries. His drop in speed hasn’t affected him, though, as illustrated by his 311 wickets in 92 Tests, which is the second most among Indian seam bowlers only behind Kapil Dev’s 434. Here are Zaheer Khan’s 7 most memorable moments:

#7 32* off 11 balls vs. Zimbabwe, Jodhpur, 8 December 2000

Zaheer Khan, once upon a time, was actually a handy lower-order batsman who could contribute crucial runs towards the end of an innings. In recent times, unfortunately, Zaheer has completely lost interest in his batting and has almost become a walking wicket. His 32* off 11 balls in an ODI against Zimbabwe which included 4 consecutive sixes (excluding a wide) off the bowling of Henry Olonga, who had once famously dismissed Sachin Tendulkar no less, is evidence of this ability.

His blitzkrieg in the last over against Olonga had propelled India to a total of 283 from 50 overs, but a relatively strong Zimbabwean outfit chased down the target with a ball to spare, courtesy of 50s from the Flower brothers, rendering Zaheer’s late-order efforts ultimately in vain.

#6 3/11 from final 3 overs vs England, Bangalore, 27 February 2011

Zaheer Khan’s overall figures of 3/64 against England in Bangalore during the 2011 World Cup, on the face of it, might not make for great reading, but it is the context of his final few overs which makes this spell truly memorable.

Defending 338 for victory on a flat pitch, Zaheer Khan & co. got off to a horrible start with the left-armer, in particular, being meted out harsh punishment by the England top-order, conceding 0/40 from his first 5 overs before being taken off from the attack.

His day, then, didn’t seem to get any better as he was taken for 13 off his next 2 overs after being brought back during the middle overs by MS Dhoni, the Indian captain, in the hope of a couple of quick wickets. With England having 8 wickets in hand and needing 59 runs from the last 8 overs, Zaheer, however, turned on the magic as he dismissed Ian Bell, who was on 69, and Andrew Strauss, who was well-set on 158, and turned the match in India’s favour from a nigh-on hopeless situation.

He also dismissed Paul Collingwood in his very next over for 1, but a few lusty blows from lower-order batsmen Graeme Swann and Ajmal Shahzad rescued the English side and ensured a nail-biting tie.

#5 4/42 vs New Zealand, Centurion, 2003 ICC World Cup

New Zealand seemed to hold a slight edge over India going into the 2003 World Cup encounter between the two sides, having won the ODI series in New Zealand 3-2, just two months prior. That seemed to matter little, though, as NZ were bundled out for a mere 146, courtesy of Zaheer’s 4/42 from 8 overs, resulting in an easy 7-wicket victory for India. Zaheer was sensational right from the outset as he dismissed both Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle for 0 in the very first over of the match and completely deserved his man-of-the-match award.

#4 5/29 vs New Zealand, Hamilton, 19-22 December 2002

The Indian batsmen might not have found the green pitches that were prepared during Indias 2-Test series in New Zealand in 2002 to their liking, but it suited Zaheer Khan just fine as he took 11 wickets in those 2 Tests at 13.72.

In the 2nd Test at Hamilton, India were bowled out for a paltry 99 in the 1st innings, which meant that the Indian bowlers needed to come up with a big performance for them to have any chance of leveling the series 1-1. Zaheer duly came to the fore as he produced a brilliant opening spell where he dismissed Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent and Stephen Fleming for 13, 3 and 21, respectively. He, then, came back and chipped in with the wickets of wicket-keeper Robbie Hart and Daniel Vettori, thereby finishing up with overall figures of 5/29 and helping bowl New Zealand out for 94.

#3 2/40 vs Australia, Nairobi, ICC KnockOut 2000

In April 2000, rumours of an India call-up for Zaheer Khan had started to do the rounds as he took a match-winning 5/21 for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy final against Railways. Soon enough, he was granted his chance in international cricket by being picked in the Indian ODI squad for the ICC KnockOut tournament, and he didn’t take long to impress. In just his 2nd ODI against none other than Australia, he took 2/40 from 10 overs and played an instrumental role in knocking the No.1 ODI side out of the tournament.

Although he troubled all of the Australians throughout the game with both pace and movement, it was his dismissal of skipper Steve Waugh, whom he bowled with a toe-crushing yorker, when the game was still in the balance that is affectionately remembered to this day.

#2 Dream opening spell (5-3-6-1) vs. Sri Lanka, Mumbai, 2011 ICC World Cup

Zaheer Khan truly laid the ghosts of the 2003 World Cup final against Australia to rest with his performance in the 2011 final against Sri Lanka. On the earlier occasion, Zaheer had conceded 15 runs from his first over itself and set the tone for a shoddy bowling performance from the entire team. He had clearly been overawed by the occasion and let nerves get the better of him.

The 2011 World Cup final, however, couldn’t be more of a contrast. Having obviously matured and able to deal much better with the pressure that a final brings, he conceded just 6 runs from his first 5 overs, with his first 3 overs all being maidens, while also taking the wicket of left-hander Upul Tharanga.

With Zaheer in such good rhythm, MS Dhoni could have probably persisted with the left-armer for a couple more overs but chose not to. Zaheer wasn’t able to maintain his standards towards the end, being dispatched for 54 runs and taking just one more wicket from his last 5 overs. Be that as it may, Zaheer could be proud of his efforts not just in the final but throughout the entire tournament, having carried the seam bowling attack on his shoulders almost single-handedly on occasions.

#1 4/59 and 5/75 vs England, Trent Bridge, 27-31 July 2007

It was only during the England Test series in 2007, in my opinion, that Zaheer Khan established himself as the undisputed leader of the Indian seam bowling attack. Following on from a successful county stint with Worcestershire in 2006, Zaheer was expected to make use of his knowledge of English conditions and lead an inexperienced bowling line-up. The then 28-year old completely lived up to those expectations as he finished with match figures of 9/128 to win India a memorable Test match.

England were bowled out for 198 in the 1st innings, with Zaheer, who took 4/59 from 21 overs, undoubtedly being the pick of the bowlers. India, in their reply, punished the Englishmen for failing to put up a big total on a flat pitch as they racked up a massive 481 on the board. Trailing by 283 runs, England wouldve been aiming to bat for a day and a half in order to save the Test. But Zaheer thwarted their ambitions once again, as he produced an outstanding spell of 27-10-75-5 to bowl England out for 355. His spell meant that India merely needed a target of 73 in the 4th innings for victory, which they ended up chasing with 7 wickets in hand.