Zaheer Khan

Profile Overview

Zaheer Khan (born 8 October 1978) is an Indian former professional cricketer who played all formats of the game for the Indian national team from 2000 till 2014. A left-arm fast-medium bowler known for his ability to "move the ball both ways off the wicket and swing the old ball at some pace", he was known for reverse swing with the old ball. He is the second-most successful Indian pace bowler (tied with Ishant Sharma) in Test cricket, behind Kapil Dev.
He also has the distinct record of dismissing Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya and Matthew Hayden – some of the game's most feared left-handed batsmen – over 10 times each in international cricket, and also holds the record for dismissing the third-most number of left-handed batsmen (237), after Muttiah Muralitharan (325), and Shaun Pollock (252).
Khan started his domestic career by playing for Baroda. In Tests, he was averaged around 36 at home and 31 away from home. With India, he was a member of the team that was one of the joint-winners of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, and one of the key members of the 2011 World Cup winning team, leading the pace attack with 21 wickets in just 9 games. In 2011 he was conferred with the Arjuna Award, India's second highest sporting honour, by the President of India.
During the course of his career, Khan sustained recurring injuries, which often interrupted his progress at the international level, and this was the reason he set up ProSport Fitness & Services, a special rehabilitation & training center in association with Adrian Le Roux and Andrew Leipus.
Khan was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the year 2008. He announced his retirement from international cricket in October 2015. He played for Worcestershire in County Cricket and played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. In 2020, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri. He was the former mentor of the IPL team Lucknow Super Giants for the 2025 edition.