Zaheer Khan - The end of an era in Indian cricket

Zaheer Khan – The end of an era in Indian cricket: It was all windy, yet the sun was shining bright. Sourav Ganguly wore the same pair of glasses, while Bhajji and Yuvraj were all smiles in the park. Sanath Jayasuriya occupied the crease with the scores of 102* and 74 in his back. Yes, Zaheer Khan had played a key role in getting the host into the final of the ICC champions Trophy 2002. For India, it was Zaheer Khan who reached the bowling mark to start the proceedings in the replay final. Zaheer Khan started off with a clean run-up, a leap of a racing jockey, and the right jerk before the release. The stump danced to a familiar tune as Jayasuriya went back to the pavilion with the score board reading 0-1 in 0.1 overs. Zaheer Khan ended up with figures of 3/44 as rain had the final verdict.

Zaheer Khan picked up 39 wickets from 23 ODI games and 51 scalps from 15 Test matches in the year 2002. Zaheer Khan was instrumental in India winning the Natwest series and becoming the joint winners of the Champions Trophy that year.

While India celebrated the straight drives of Sachin, the cut through the off from Ganguly and a rock solid defence from Rahul Dravid, a certain Zaheer Khan was turning into a match winner in the lesser know bowling facet.

Zaheer Khan trapped Ricky Ponting in front, broke Inzamam’s timber with the off cutters and convincingly got the better of numerous sloggers with his reverse swing. Zaheer Khan made Mathew Hayden his favourite bunny by dismissing him on 7 occasions, while Strauss had to play a practice game against India to counter Zaheer Khan’s spells. But the most interesting of them all was Graeme Smith, whom he dismissed on 6 occasions. As the Indian pacer once quoted as saying, “I just have to turn up against the southpaw”.

We all remember the young Zaheer Khan who faltered at the biggest stage in 2003 World cup final. 8 extra’s in the first over, his deliveries were deposited to the second tier of Johannesburg stadium, while Zaheer Khan finished with none for 67 runs in 7 overs, as India switched off the idiot box by evening. The hearts were broken, but India’s performance was promising.

Enter Wankhede, 2011. The national anthem was sung with the same passion as billions of Indians skipped their meals to switch to the live coverage. The rules were the same, but the opposition changed; the craft was the same but numbers had changed. 8 years had passed since then, but Zaheer Khan remembered all of it.

5-3-6-1. No! This is not Wolfsburg Germany’s landline code but Zaheer Khan’s first spell of the world cup final. Zaheer Khan took 21 wickets at an economy of 4.83 on the batting friendly pitches to hand India its second World cup title.

Like all other spearheads, Zaheer had his “stop-and-start” phase. Zaheer Khan suffered injuries on major tours which turned out to be major blows for India. Zaheer Khan made starts in the IPL, but faded away like most stars.

Zaheer Khan put everything else aside, went on a long fitness programme that involved visits to Brive-La-Gaillarde and Bloemfontein. Zaheer Khan trained at the Bandra Kurla Complex, while Sachin was gearing up for his final swansong.

Zaheer Khan made a comeback and played a mentor to the likes of Ishant and Yadav. His last heroics came at Basin Reserve, Wellington in 2014, where India were closing on a victory thanks to Khan’s 5-170, but McCullum’s triple century eluded India a big win. In the last 3 years, Zaheer Khan played only 12 Test matches and picked up 31 wickets. His injury woes kept on growing and a recall looked under clouds. Zaheer Khan was preparing for the upcoming season, but soon realized that his shoulder may not last the rigours of bowling nearly 18 overs a day, and hence Zaheer Khan called time on his carrier with immediate effect.

A cricketing era has come to an end in Indian cricket with Zaheer Khan calling it a day. Zaheer Khan shouldered the country’s hope for many years and will always be remembered as one of the best in the 22 yards. We thank Zaheer Khan for all the memories and at the same time admire the support he has received from one and all. The best possible way to sign off is with a quote from his father, “Engineers toh bahut saaare hein tu bowlers’ hi ban na!” and he was indeed a great fast bowler for India.

Career stats of Zaheer Khan: