Zaheer Khan

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Lore & Background

Zaheer Khan's journey began in Shrirampur, Maharashtra, where he played for the local Revenue Colony Cricket Club before being spotted by Sudhir Naik. Sent to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, bowling coach T. A. Sekhar recognized his talent and pushed him toward Baroda. His domestic breakthrough came in the 2000–01 Ranji Trophy final against Railways, where he claimed match figures of 8/145, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings (5/16), securing the trophy for Baroda after a 43-year drought. In international cricket, Khan faced significant challenges early on; by late 2005, the emergence of Sreesanth and R. P. Singh led to his demotion from a B-grade to a C-grade contract. However, he was recalled in late 2006 following Irfan Pathan's slump and Munaf Patel's injury. A defining moment came during the 2011 World Cup, where Khan introduced the knuckle ball after a year of preparation. He withheld this delivery until the tournament, using it to dismiss key batsmen like Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Devon Smith, and Michael Hussey in crucial matches.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Zaheer's resilience is best illustrated by his injury struggles and comebacks. During a tour against Australia starting in April 2002, he took 54 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 30 until the first Test in Brisbane in December 2003. After taking five of the top seven Australian batsmen for 95 runs in the first innings, he injured himself during the opening spell of the second innings. This injury forced him to miss the subsequent tour of Pakistan, denying India its first-ever Test series victory on their soil. Despite these setbacks, he returned to become one of the most successful Indian pace bowlers in Tests, tied with Ishant Sharma for second-most wickets behind Kapil Dev. His record includes dismissing legendary left-handed batsmen Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Matthew Hayden more than 10 times each. He also holds the record for dismissing the third-highest number of left-handed batsmen (237) in international cricket, trailing only Muttiah Muralitharan and Shaun Pollock.

Reader's Guide

For fans analyzing Zaheer Khan's technical evolution, his 2011 World Cup knuckle ball remains a critical case study. He developed this delivery specifically for the tournament but deliberately avoided using it in preceding matches to maintain its element of surprise. His ability to reverse swing the old ball was a hallmark of his career, setting him apart from contemporaries. In the IPL, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians before being picked by Delhi Daredevils in the 2015 auction. He captained the franchise in 2016 and 2017, becoming the oldest player to reach 100 IPL wickets at age 38. His domestic career also saw a stint with Worcestershire in England in 2005, where he took ten wickets on debut against Somerset, becoming the first player to do so for the county in over a century. In June of that year, he took nine wickets against Essex; had last man Darren Gough not been dropped by wicket-keeper Steven Davies, Khan would have taken all ten wickets.

Did You Know?

• Zaheer Khan became the first Worcestershire player to take 10 wickets on debut in over 100 years, achieving this against Somerset in 2005.
• He is the oldest player (age 38) to reach 100 wickets in the Indian Premier League history.
• Khan holds the record for dismissing the third-most left-handed batsmen (237) in international cricket, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan and Shaun Pollock.
• He deliberately withheld his knuckle ball until the 2011 World Cup to ensure its effectiveness against top batsmen like Ian Bell and Michael Hussey.
• Zaheer was one of the key members of India's 2011 World Cup winning team, taking 21 wickets in just 9 games while leading the pace attack.