Searing yorkers, sticky jelly beans, and stinging post-match taunts
Irking the Australians, swinging out the English, and a sprinkling of batting records. ESPNcricinfo recounts 10 fine performances from Zaheer Khan's celebrated India career
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Oct-2015
Zaheer Khan knew a thing or two about yorkers. Just ask Steve Waugh • AFP
India take the fast lane, finally
October 2000: Zaheer Khan bursts onto the international scene with a searing but smart spell of fast bowling in a famous victory against Australia in the ICC KnockOut. He outwits batsmen with inch-perfect yorkers - including a ball to the usually unflappable Steve Waugh that becomes part of Indian cricket folklore - and, alongside the other new boy Yuvraj Singh, puts India into the semis.
October 2000: Zaheer Khan bursts onto the international scene with a searing but smart spell of fast bowling in a famous victory against Australia in the ICC KnockOut. He outwits batsmen with inch-perfect yorkers - including a ball to the usually unflappable Steve Waugh that becomes part of Indian cricket folklore - and, alongside the other new boy Yuvraj Singh, puts India into the semis.
Can he bat too?
December 2000: Zaheer exhibits his big-hitting ability early in his career against Zimbabwe as he wallops a 11-ball 32 from No. 10, which includes four sixes in the 50th over off Henry Olonga.
December 2000: Zaheer exhibits his big-hitting ability early in his career against Zimbabwe as he wallops a 11-ball 32 from No. 10, which includes four sixes in the 50th over off Henry Olonga.
Teaming up with Venky
August 2001: Combines with Venkatesh Prasad to bowl Sri Lanka out for 221 in the second innings of the second Test in Kandy, paving the way for a series-levelling victory. He picks up seven wickets in the match overall, early signs of the influence he would have on responsive overseas Test tracks.
August 2001: Combines with Venkatesh Prasad to bowl Sri Lanka out for 221 in the second innings of the second Test in Kandy, paving the way for a series-levelling victory. He picks up seven wickets in the match overall, early signs of the influence he would have on responsive overseas Test tracks.
New Zealand duck out of the World Cup
March 2003: Delivers a hostile spell of swing bowling to eliminate New Zealand from the 2003 World Cup in Centurion, his victims including Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle, both for ducks in the first over of the game. New Zealand don't recover from the early assault and India progress to the semi-finals.
March 2003: Delivers a hostile spell of swing bowling to eliminate New Zealand from the 2003 World Cup in Centurion, his victims including Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle, both for ducks in the first over of the game. New Zealand don't recover from the early assault and India progress to the semi-finals.
Making Australia hop
December 2003: After a difficult first day on tour down in Australia, Zaheer leads India's fightback. The hosts go from 262 for 2 to 323 all out in Brisbane as Zaheer runs through the middle order on his way to a third Test five-for, and the pace is set for a compelling series.
December 2003: After a difficult first day on tour down in Australia, Zaheer leads India's fightback. The hosts go from 262 for 2 to 323 all out in Brisbane as Zaheer runs through the middle order on his way to a third Test five-for, and the pace is set for a compelling series.
Yes, he can bat
December 2004: Zaheer walks in with the score at 393 for 9, with Sachin Tendulkar on 191 at the other end in Dhaka. The score reads 526 when he is out, with Tendulkar on 248 and himself on 75. He sticks around to see Tendulkar past his double-century and then has some fun, striking 10 fours and two sixes in his knock - at the time, the highest score by a No. 11, and his 133-run stand with Tendulkar, the second-highest 10th-wicket stand in Tests.
December 2004: Zaheer walks in with the score at 393 for 9, with Sachin Tendulkar on 191 at the other end in Dhaka. The score reads 526 when he is out, with Tendulkar on 248 and himself on 75. He sticks around to see Tendulkar past his double-century and then has some fun, striking 10 fours and two sixes in his knock - at the time, the highest score by a No. 11, and his 133-run stand with Tendulkar, the second-highest 10th-wicket stand in Tests.
Turning England to jelly
July 2007: In Nottingham, he produces a masterclass in swing bowling to give India just their fifth Test win in England, and an eventually decisive series lead. Zaheer shows that he can keep his head amid distractions too - his second-innings five-for follows the infamous jelly bean incident - and his match haul of 48-15-134-9 earns him the Man of the Match in one of India's most celebrated victories.
July 2007: In Nottingham, he produces a masterclass in swing bowling to give India just their fifth Test win in England, and an eventually decisive series lead. Zaheer shows that he can keep his head amid distractions too - his second-innings five-for follows the infamous jelly bean incident - and his match haul of 48-15-134-9 earns him the Man of the Match in one of India's most celebrated victories.
Giving it back to Australia
October 2008: Zaheer gets the better of Matthew Hayden in in Bangalore, dismissing him twice, including a duck in the first over of the game. He is not done with Australia, or Hayden. He frustrates the visitors further with an unbeaten fifty and, after the game is drawn, irks them even more by declaring in the media that "Australia can't take 20 wickets". In the following game he shows India can, claiming three wickets in four balls on the final morning to secure a 320-run win before attending a hearing with the match referee for his send off to - who else but - Hayden.
October 2008: Zaheer gets the better of Matthew Hayden in in Bangalore, dismissing him twice, including a duck in the first over of the game. He is not done with Australia, or Hayden. He frustrates the visitors further with an unbeaten fifty and, after the game is drawn, irks them even more by declaring in the media that "Australia can't take 20 wickets". In the following game he shows India can, claiming three wickets in four balls on the final morning to secure a 320-run win before attending a hearing with the match referee for his send off to - who else but - Hayden.
A bag of tricks in Durban
Durban 2010: Who said you need tearaway pace to succeed? Zaheer, over a career plagued by injury, showed cricketing nous will do, too. In Durban, he boggles South African minds with variety, getting the ball to angle in and deviate away time and again. Zaheer claims the wickets of both openers, Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen, as well as that of Ashwell Prince to ensure India's first-innings score of 205 is more than enough for them to register an elusive victory on South African soil.
Durban 2010: Who said you need tearaway pace to succeed? Zaheer, over a career plagued by injury, showed cricketing nous will do, too. In Durban, he boggles South African minds with variety, getting the ball to angle in and deviate away time and again. Zaheer claims the wickets of both openers, Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen, as well as that of Ashwell Prince to ensure India's first-innings score of 205 is more than enough for them to register an elusive victory on South African soil.
On top of the world
World Cup 2011: A tournament Zaheer tags his ''greatest cricketing moment". He finishes its joint-highest wicket taker with 21 wickets at an average of 18.76. Among his several exploits, he scripts a stunning turnaround in a stunning game in Bangalore: England are cruising towards the target of 339 at 281 for 2 in the 43rd, when Zaheer triggers a slide by taking out both the set batsmen in two balls - including one of those searing, swinging yorkers to get centurion Andrew Strauss lbw. The result? India hold on for a tie.
World Cup 2011: A tournament Zaheer tags his ''greatest cricketing moment". He finishes its joint-highest wicket taker with 21 wickets at an average of 18.76. Among his several exploits, he scripts a stunning turnaround in a stunning game in Bangalore: England are cruising towards the target of 339 at 281 for 2 in the 43rd, when Zaheer triggers a slide by taking out both the set batsmen in two balls - including one of those searing, swinging yorkers to get centurion Andrew Strauss lbw. The result? India hold on for a tie.