Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :
Zaheer Khan enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers for Indian pacers. His ability to swing the ball at pace was a sparkling feature in his armoury.
For someone who was India’s talisman in bowling department for years, his contributions on pitch have always been less appreciated. Whenever Zaheer stepped out on the pitch to represent India, he wore his heart on the sleeve.
But his significant service to Indian cricket have finally been honoured with Padma Shri, country’s fourth highest civilian honour. It is a rich deserved recognition for the former Indian pacer.
The left-armer, who has a winners’ medal from the 2011 World Cup , is India’s joint leading wicket-taker in World Cups. With 311 wickets, he’s only behind Kapil Dev for most wickets by an Indian seamer in Tests, while also boasting of 282 wickets in ODIs – the fourth-highest for an Indian.
Zaheer made his debut for India in 2000, and – for the most part of his 13-year career – remained a vital cog in the team in the Test and one-day formats.
For such illustrious career, it feels though Zaheer wasn’t given enough credit during his playing days. His major contribution to his country came at the biggest stage of it all – World Cup. He was India’s go-to man in critical situations.
His 21 scalps were the joint-most with Shahid Afridi at the 2011 World Cup, and he was key in giving India those breakthroughs at right junctions. He has finally seen his services rewarded in the best way possible – Padma Shri awardee now, he can be proud of his career.
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / India Times / Home> Sports / by Basit Aijaz / January 26th, 2020