Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan turned 40 on Sunday and several past and present Indian cricketers including VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh and Aakash Chopra wished the left-arm pacer on Twitter. Zaheer Khan was key weapon in India's bowling arsenal as his swing bowling instilled fears into opposition batsmen. Harbhajan Singh called Zaheer Khan a "top man" while former India batsman VVS Laxman called the left-armer a match-winner for his fiery bowling spells for India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was posted a short video recalling his brilliant spell against Sri Lanka.
Wishing a wonderful man , a great match-winner for India and my buddy @ImZaheer a very very happy Birthday pic.twitter.com/VfpiGZywoF
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) October 7, 2018
Happy birthday Mr khan @ImZaheer what a top man pic.twitter.com/Ea9pRu0nKy
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 7, 2018
Happy birthday @ImZaheer! It's been a pleasure! pic.twitter.com/auXaZNhKVk
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 7, 2018
That moment when @ImZaheer registered his best ODI figures.
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 7, 2018
Here's wishing a very Happy Birthday to one of #TeamIndia's finest pace bowlers pic.twitter.com/wubxc1S2d6
Zaheer was unbelievably good in his 15-year long career in both the ODI and Test formats. He made his ODI debut against Kenya in 2000 during the Knock-Out Cup and continued to play till 2012, taking 282 wickets from 200 matches, His best figures in ODI is 5/42 that he picked against Sri Lanka. He has eleven five-wicket hauls in Tests and one ten-wicket haul against Bangladesh in 2010.
He played his first Test in 2000 and went onto play 92 Test matches accumulating 311 wickets with best bowling figures in an innings being seven for 87.
In ODIs, Zaheer still remains the fourth highest wicket taker for India after Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar. In Tests, the list somehow remains the same as Zaheer ranks fourth after Kumble, Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh.
Zaheer's expertise with the ball made him indispensable to the Indian side. He played a major role in India's 2011 World Cup triumph with 21 wickets in the tournament.
Zaheer married Bollywood actor Sagarika Ghatge in November last year.
- Zaheer Khan celebrated his birthday on Sunday
- He was one of the finest pacers India had ever produced
- He played his first Test in 2000 and went onto play 92 Test matches
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Rankings
- TEST
- ODI
- T20
| Rank | Team | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  India |
115 |
| 2 |  South Africa |
106 |
| 3 |  Australia |
106 |
| 4 |  England |
105 |
| 5 |  New Zealand |
102 |
