Zaheer Khan

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The emergence of Zaheer Khan has given the Indian new-ball attack a sense of well-being after a long hiatus. Zaheer's impressive debut in the ICC KnockOut, when two yorkers in three balls speared into the off-stumps of Kenyan batsmen, heightened expectations. He stayed in the forefront of India's ICCKO and Champions Trophy campaigns, picking up 15 wickets, the most prized being Steve Waugh's, which showed he could unsettle the best in the business. Always presenting a composed exterior, his bursts of speed and willingness to angle the ball into the body can discompose most batsmen. After initially struggling in his first six Tests on mostly bland wickets, Zaheer at last came into his own in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Kandy. The seven wickets that he took helped India achieve a series-levelling win in the Emerald Isles.

Three years with the MRF Pace Foundation moulded Zaheer into a fighting fit product, ready to pass through the turnstiles into international cricket. He was given the opportunity to train at the Commonwealth Cricket Academy in Adelaide in October 1999 and toured New Zealand with the Academy boys. Having played for Mumbai at the Under-19 level, he failed to break into the city's Ranji Trophy side and sensibly decided to shift allegiances to Baroda. The impact of his Australian sojourn was evident during his maiden first-class season in 1999-2000, which yielded 35 wickets. Zaheer Khan is a hard-hitting batsman, an ability he underlined during the one-dayer at Jodhpur against Zimbabwe, when he smote Henry Olonga for four sixes off the last four balls of the innings. The left-arm seamer was the leading wicket-taker with fifteen wickets in the recent Test series against West Indies. With the retirement of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan is the ideal man to lead the Indian fast bowling department.