Born: 7 October 1978, Shrirampur, Maharashtra
Major Teams: Baroda, India.
Known As: Zaheer Khan
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Left Arm Fast Medium
Test Debut:
India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, Only Test, 2000/01
An
Interview with Zaheer Khan TESTS
(including 19/12/2002)
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 24 33 6 250 46 9.25 49.70 0 0 8 0
O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 759.2 167 2435 73 33.35 5-29 2 0 62.4 3.20
ONE-DAY INTERNATIONALS
(including 23/03/2003)
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 67 35 13 252 34* 11.45 71.59 0 0 17 0
O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 565.4 34 2654 104 25.51 4-42 5 0 32.6 4.69
FIRST-CLASS
(1999/00 - 2002/03; last updated 07/04/2003)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 47 61 10 670 48 13.13 0 0 20 0
O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 1594.4 329 5165 183 28.22 6-25 11 3 52.2 3.23
LIST A LIMITED OVERS
(1999/00 - 2002/03; last updated 07/04/2003)
M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct St
Batting & Fielding 89 46 16 332 34* 11.06 0 0 24 0
O R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 769.1 3535 127 27.83 4-38 6 0 36.3 4.59
- Explanations of First-Class and List A status courtesy of the ACS.
The emergence of Zaheer Khan has given the Indian new-ball attack a sense of well-being after a long hiatus. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off-stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened expectations. He stayed in the forefront of India's ICCKO and Champions Trophy campaigns, picking up 15 wickets, the most prized being Steve Waugh's, which showed he could unsettle the best in the business. Always presenting a composed exterior, his bursts of speed and willingness to angle the ball into the body can discompose most batsmen. After initially struggling in his first six Tests on mostly bland wickets, Zaheer at last came into his own in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy. The seven wickets that he took helped India achieve a series-levelling win in the Emerald Isles.
Three years with the MRF Pace Foundation moulded Zaheer into a fighting fit product, ready to pass through the turnstiles into international cricket. He was given the opportunity to train at the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide in October 1999 and toured New Zealand with the Academy boys. Having played for Mumbai at the Under-19 level, he failed to break into the city's Ranji Trophy side and sensibly decided to shift allegiances to Baroda. The impact of his Australian sojourn was evident during his maiden first-class season in 1999-2000, which yielded 35 wickets. Zaheer Khan is a hard-hitting batsman, an ability he underlined during the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, when he smote Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings. The left-arm seamer was the leading wicket-taker with fifteen wickets in the recent Test series against West Indies.
Zaheer Khan did not enjoy a fruitful tour of England. But then, he was a completely changed bowler in New Zealand, finishing up as India's leading wicket-taker. Zaheer Khan clearly is going to be India's spearhead during the World Cup 2003.(Sankhya Krishnan, Santhosh S)