Zaheer Khan is a retired Indian cricketer, entrepreneur, and cricket director. He is considered one of the finest left-arm Indian bowlers ever. He was the highest wicket-taker for India in the 2011 ODI World Cup which India won. He took more than 600 wickets during his international career of more than a decade. After retiring from international cricket in 2015, he became an entrepreneur and cricket director.
Wiki/Biography
Zaheer Khan was born on Sunday, 8 October 1978 (age 45 years; as of 2023) in Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Libra. He did his schooling at New Marathi Primary School and the K.J. Somaiyya Secondary School in Shrirampur.
A childhood photo of Zaheer Khan
In 1996, he came to Mumbai from Shrirampur at the age of 18 years and started training at the National Cricket Club where he trained under Vidya Paradkar. Later, coach Sudhir Naik saw him bowling and convinced him to become a cricketer; he had never bowled with a leather ball before that trial.
Zaheer Khan (left) with Sudhir Naik (right)
Khan dropped the idea of pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree and focused solely on becoming a cricketer as Naik told him to work hard since his age was already more than many other aspiring cricketers. He also worked at SunGrace Mafatlal company where he earned Rs 5000 per month.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
Weight (approx.): 75 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
He belongs to a Marathi Muslim family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Bakhtiyar Khan, is a retired photographer, and his mother, Zakia Khan, is a teacher.
Zaheer Khan’s father, Bakhtiyar Khan
Zaheer Khan with his mother
He has an elder brother named Zeeshan Khan who is an engineer. His younger brother, Anees Khan, has done a hotel management course in the United Kingdom (UK) and is married to Alifya Sayed.
Zaheer Khan’s younger brother, Anees Khan, with his wife, Alifya Sayed
Wife & Children
He got married to Sagarika Ghatge, an Indian actress, on 23 November 2017; the couple had a court marriage.
Zaheer Khan with his wife, Sagarika Ghatge
They had earlier got engaged to each other in April 2017. As of February 2024, the couple does not have any children.
Zaheer Khan with Sagarika Ghatge (right) after their engagement
Relationships/Affairs
In 2005, Zaheer Khan started dating Isha Sharvani, an Indian actress and was in a relationship with her for eight years till 2012.
Zaheer Khan (extreme right) with Isha Sharvani (second from left)
He later met Sagarika Ghatge at a party and became friends with her. Sagarika later became his girlfriend.
Zaheer Khan (extreme left) with Sagarika Ghatge (extreme right) at Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech’s wedding
Religion
He follows Islam.
Zaheer Khan during a trip to Ajmer Sharif Dargah
Signature/Autograph
Zaheer Khan’s autograph
Career
Cricketer
Domestic
In the 1997-98 season, he played for Mumbai Under-19 and West Zone Under-19. From 1998-99 to 2000-01 season, he played for Madras Rubber Factory. He represented the Australian Cricket Academy in the 1999-00 season.
Zaheer Khan during his early cricket playing days
He later attended MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai where the coach T. A. Sekhar advised him to play for Baroda. He made his Ranji debut for Baroda in the 2000-01 season and took 8 wickets for 145 runs in the final match, helping Baroda win the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 43 years. In the 2006-07 season, Zaheer Khan started playing for Mumbai in the domestic circuit and played for them till the 2013-14 season.
Zaheer Khan during a domestic match
International
Test
Zaheer Khan made his test debut on 10 November 2000 against Bangladesh at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka and took 2 wickets for 49 runs in the first innings and 1 wicket for 20 runs in the second innings.
Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, and Munaf Patel (left to right) during a test practice session
He took his first test 5-wicket haul in December 2002 with 5 wickets for 53 runs in the first innings against New Zealand. In January 2010, he took his only test 10-wicket haul with 3 wickets for 62 runs in the first innings and 7 wickets for 87 runs in the second innings. He played his last test match on 14 February 2014 against New Zealand in Wellington.
Zaheer Khan with Sachin Tendulkar (right) during a test match
ODI
He played his debut ODI match on 3 October 2000 against Kenya at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi and took 3 wickets for 48 runs.
Zaheer Khan during his ODI debut
He took 3 wickets for 62 runs in the NatWest Trophy final in 2002 which India won, and he was also the last man standing; the famous incident at Lord’s London happened after the match when Sourav Ganguly took off his t-shirt and waved it.
Zaheer Khan with Mohammad Kaif (left) after winning the 2002 NatWest Trophy
On 14 February 2007, he took his only ODI 5-wicket haul with 5 wickets for 42 runs against Sri Lanka. He played his final ODI match on 4 August 2012 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
ODI World Cup
In the 2003 ODI World Cup held in South Africa, he took 18 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 20.78, an economy rate of 4.23, and a strike rate of 29.44.
Zaheer Khan with Sourav Ganguly (left) during the 2003 ODI World Cup
In the 2007 ODI World Cup held in West Indies, he claimed 5 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 24.40, an economy rate of 4.21, and a strike rate of 34.80. In the 2011 ODI World Cup held in India, he emerged as the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack by taking 21 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 18.76, an economy rate of 4.83, and a strike rate of 23.29.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan (left to right) with the 2011 ODI World Cup Trophy
T20I
He played his debut T20I match on 1 December 2006 against South Africa at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg and took 2 wickets for 15 runs. He played his last T20 match on 2 October 2012 against South Africa in Colombo.
Zaheer Khan bowling in a T20 match
T20 World Cup
Zaheer Khan took 7 wickets in 5 matches in the 2009 T20 World Cup held in England. In the 2010 T20 World Cup held in West Indies, he took 2 wickets in 3 matches. He claimed 3 wickets in 4 matches in the 2012 T20 World Cup held in Sri Lanka.
Zaheer Khan with Ashish Nehra (right) during a practice session in the 2010 ODI World Cup
Leagues
County
Zaheer Khan played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club in England in the 2006 County season. On his debut against Somerset, he took a ten-wicket haul. In June 2006, during the match against Essex, he took 9 wickets for 138 runs in the first innings and missed taking the wicket of Darren Gough, the last batsman, as wicket-keeper Steven Davies dropped a catch.
Zaheer Khan in Worcestershire County Cricket Club jersey
Indian Premier League (IPL)
In the 2008 IPL auction, he was acquired by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for $450 thousand against his base price of $200 thousand for the inaugural IPL season in 2008.
Zaheer Khan with Virat Kohli (left) during a practice session for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
He represented Mumbai Indians in the 2009 and 2010 IPL seasons after being swapped for Robin Uthappa. RCB acquired him for Rs 4.14 crores for the 2011 IPL season and played for them till 2013. During the IPL auction for season 7 in 2014, MI acquired him for Rs 2.6 crores against his base price of Rs 1 crore.
Zaheer Khan during an IPL match for Mumbai Indians (MI)
Delhi Daredevils (renamed Delhi Capitals) acquired him for Rs 4 crore against his base price of Rs 1 crore for the 2015 IPL season and played for them till 2017, serving as their captain in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, he became the 8th Indian bowler (10th overall), to pick 100 IPL wickets.
Zaheer Khan with Rahul Dravid (left) when he played for Delhi Daredevils
St. Moritz Ice Cricket
He played for Badrutt’s Palace Diamonds in the St. Moritz Ice Cricket T20 Tournament in 2018 held in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.
Zaheer Khan (extreme right) when he played for Badrutt’s Palace Diamonds
Abu Dhabi T10 League
In the 2018 season of the T10 League, he represented the Bengal Tigers. He played for Delhi Bulls in the 2019 T10 League.
Zaheer Khan when he was acquired by Delhi Bulls
Jersey Number
He wore jersey number 34 in international fixtures and IPL matches.
Zaheer Khan’s jersey number 34
Injuries
He suffered many injuries during his career which halted his progress and did not allow him to play for longer periods for India. He injured his hamstring, ankle, knee, and shoulder multiple times and underwent multiple surgeries to treat those injuries. His comebacks after frequent injuries made the phrase ‘Zak is back’ popular among his fans.
Zaheer Khan after his ankle surgery
Retirement
Zaheer Khan retired from international cricket on 15 October 2015. He wrote in a tweet,
I bid adieu to my career in international cricket. I look forward to signing off with IPL 9.”
I bid adieu to my career in international cricket. I look forward to signing off with IPL 9. #ZaksNewBeginning pic.twitter.com/FLpaokbLy1
— zaheer khan (@ImZaheer) October 15, 2015
Stats
Fielding & Bowling
Tests
- Most Catches in an Innings: 2
- Most Catches in a Match: 2
- Best Bowling Figures in an Inning: 7 wickets for 87 runs
- Best Bowling in a Match: 10 wickets for 149 runs
ODIs
- Most Catches in a Match: 3
- Best Bowling Figures in a Match: 5 wickets for 42 runs
T20Is
- Most Catches in a Match: 1
- Best Bowling Figures in a Match: 4 wickets for 19 runs
IPL
- Most Catches in a Match: 2
- Best Bowling Figures in a Match: 4 wickets for 17 runs
Batting
Tests
ODIs
- Highest Score: 34 runs not out
T20Is
IPL
- Highest Score: 23 runs not out
Records
- Highest 10th wicket partnership for India in tests; he scored 75 runs, his highest test score, with Sachin Tendulkar, who also scored his highest test score of 248 runs not out, in a test against Bangladesh on 10 December 2004
- Indian player with the most golden ducks (7) in tests (shared with Kapil Dev and Mohammed Shami)
- First Indian cricketer to be dismissed twice on a Diamond Duck in ODIs (Dismissed without facing a ball)
- First Worcestershire County Cricket Club player to take 10 wickets on debut
- Oldest player to take 100 wickets in Indian Premier League (IPL) (At the age of 38 years)
Cricket Management Roles
In December 2018, he was appointed as Director of Cricket Operations for the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). In September 2022, he became the Global head of cricket development for MI.
Zaheer Khan with Rohit Sharma (right) when he became Director of Cricket Operations
He has also served as a commentator in various IPL and international matches and as a panellist in various cricket discussion shows.
Zaheer Khan with Waqar Younis (left) during a cricket discussion show
Entrepreneur
Fitness Ventures
In 2014, he opened the ProSport Fitness gym and physiotherapy centre in Lower Parel, Mumbai and appointed cricket trainers Adrian Le Roux and Andrew Leipus as consultants. In 2016, he opened one more fitness hub in Nashik. In an interview, Khan said that he planned to open such hubs in 15 Indian cities.
Zaheer Khan with Yuvraj Singh (right) at ProSport Fitness Gym
In 2019, he co-founded a mobile application centred around fitness named StepSetGo (SSG) with Shivjeet Ghatge (CEO), Mishaal Turakhia (CPO) and Abhay Pai (CTO) which had around 9 million (90 lakh) downloads and 5 lakh active users in 2021. The application company received Rs 5 crore in seed funding from Huddle, BeyondSeed, Dexter Angels and Seeders LLP.
Zaheer Khan promoting his fitness application StepSetGo
Hotelier
Zaheer owns many hotels and lounges including ZK’s in Pune, which opened in 2005, Toss Sports Lounge on the 2nd Floor, Winners Court, 23 Sahani Sujan Park, Near NIBM, Lulla Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune, opened in 2013, and Zaheer Khan’s Dine Fine at Ground Floor, Winners Court, 23 Sahani Sujan Park, Near NIBM, Lulla Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune, opened in 2014; the restaurants and lounges are maintained by his brother, Anees Khan, under Zaheer Khan’s Hospitality Private Limited.
Zaheer Khan with Sachin Tendulkar (right) during the opening of Toss Sports Lounge
Controversies
Fight with a fan
In 2006, Zaheer Khan was playing in an international match in Centurion, South Africa. Allegedly, some people of Indian origin started abusing Indian players, and their families from the stands. Elize Lombard, the head of the Northern Cricket Union, said that her security chief, Darell Vorster, told her that Zaheer threw a bottle, lying near the boundary rope, at a fan who threw it back to him after which Khan did not do anything. The man named Nitin later entered the Indian dressing room where Khan allegedly caught him by the collar and threatened to beat him. Nitin claimed that he went to the dressing room to ask Khan the reason for throwing the bottle at him. Indian media manager Rajan Nair said that a man had entered the dressing room by accident and had been arrested. Khan denied being involved in any such incident.
Jelly Beans Incident
During the second cricket test against England at Nottingham in July 2007, when Zaheer Khan came to bat in the first innings, he found a jelly bean at the crease which he removed. He later found some more jelly beans thrown at the crease after which he showed those to the umpires and also told English fielders, particularly waving his bat to Kevin Pietersen to not do such acts.
Zaheer Khan waving his bat to Kevin Pietersen during the jelly beans incident
This incident angered Khan after which he took 5 wickets for 75 runs in the second innings. After the match, the Indian team accused English fielders of trying to break the focus of Zaheer Khan following which English captain Michael Vaughan apologised for the incident.
Fight with police
In December 2008, Zaheer Khan was staying at a hotel in Chennai, Tamil Nadu for a test match between India and England. One of his friends, a Tamil Nadu cricketer, came to meet him; however, Tamil Nadu police officials stopped him as his name was not on the list of approved visitors. This angered Khan who came downstairs to the entry point and quarrelled with the police officers. His friend was eventually allowed to go inside the hotel; however, Tamil Nadu Police complained to the Indian team management and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association about this incident.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- Named Cricketer of the Year by BCCI in 2002
- Nominated for ICC Test Player of the Year in 2007
- Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2008
- Nominated for Twenty20 Performer of the Year in 2009
- Arjuna Award in 2011
Zaheer Khan with Arjuna Award
- Nominated for ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year, and ODI Player of the Year in 2011
Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan (left to right) during ICC Awards
- Named in ICC Team of the 2011 ODI World Cup and Test Team of the Year in 2011
- HT Most Stylish Personality of the Year 2015
Car Collection
He owns a Honda Accord, a Toyota Fortuner SUV, an Audi A8, and a Mercedes Benz S-Class.
Zaheer Khan in his Mercedes Benz S-Class
Salary/Income
As of February 2024, his monthly income is around Rs 50 lakh from his real estate investments, advertisements, and other ventures.
Net Worth
His net worth is around Rs 182 crores as of February 2024.
Assets & Properties
In January 2021, he bought a 4,000 sq ft duplex property located on the 40th and 41st floor of the Indiabulls Sky Project in Mumbai for Rs 11.5 crore and paid a stamp duty of Rs 37.4 lakh for the 3957 sq ft (carpet area) property located on Senapati Bapat Marg, Parel.
Zaheer Khan at his home
Favourites
- Film(s): Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Lakshya (2004), Chak De! India (2007), Rock On!! (2008), 3 Idiots (2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Facts/Trivia
- His batting style is right-handed, and his bowling style is left-arm medium fast.
- When he started playing cricket, he used to read ‘The Art of Fast Bowling’ book by the Australian cricketer Dennis Lillee.
- During his initial cricket playing days, he was afraid of travelling in planes. He once had to go to Madhya Pradesh from Mumbai on a flight, he asked his coach Vidyadhar Paradkar to sit alongside him in the place.
- In 2005, during the test match between India and Pakistan in Bengaluru, a female fan was seen holding a placard with ‘Zaheer, I Love You’ written on it. When she was shown on the screen in the stadium, the cameraman started showing Khan who was sitting with Yuvraj Singh in the dugout. The girl gave a flying kiss to Khan who also gave a flying kiss in reply.
@virendersehwag THIS MAN CAN DO ANYTHING @ImZaheer .Sehwag stopped match when Zaheer Khan got PROPOSAL. See what happened next . pic.twitter.com/lIlwAxCGUC
— Sandy_B (@Sandybisht7) August 2, 2017
- He followed superstitions whenever he played which included tying the left shoe before the right shoe. Reportedly, he always kept a yellow handkerchief in his pocket whenever he played which he believed to be his lucky charm.
- He has often faced backlash from radical Islamists during his life. He was criticised for marrying Sagarika Ghatge, a Hindu. He often posts his photos celebrating Hindu festivals such as Diwali and visits to Hindu temples for which he has received several hate messages.
Zaheer Khan during a visit to Shri Saibaba’s Samadhi Temple
- His fans and friends often call him by his nicknames Zak, Zippy, and Zakky.
- Zaheer is often called a master of technique who prepared hard for matches. Before the 2011 World Cup, he learnt the craft of bowling knuckle ball for a year which helped him take many wickets in the tournament. He is also called a legend of swing bowling.
- In 2014, during a test match against New Zealand, a video clip went viral in which Ishant Sharma was heard saying some expletives. In the video, Zaheer Khan was seen fielding the ball. When Sharma was asked if he said those words for Khan, he said that Khan was like his guru (mentor), and he uttered those words out of frustration as Brendon McCullum was scoring a lot of runs.
Zaheer Khan with Ishant Sharma (right)
- Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have very similar stats in their test career. Both have taken 311 wickets, with 104 wickets in India and 207 wickets abroad, with eleven 5-wicket hauls.
A photo comparing Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma’s stats
- He is considered to be a fashion icon and has walked the ramp for various brands in different fashion shows. In 2011, he became the brand ambassador of the fashion brand Sher Singh.
Zaheer Khan (second from left) when he became the brand ambassador of the fashion brand Sher Singh
- He is an avid traveller and has visited many countries such as Russia, France, and Maldives.
Zaheer Khan during a trip to Maldives
- Zaheer Khan has been featured in several advertisements for various companies. In 2021, he became the brand ambassador of the sports betting platform, SportsBaazi.
- In an interview, he talked about his captains Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He described Ganguly as the confidence-giving captain who turned boys into match winners and Dhoni as the transformer who changed watch winners into world beaters. In an interview, Dhoni described Khan as one of the most intelligent pacers and Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling.
Zaheer Khan with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (right)
- He is very popular on social media and has a huge following. As of February 2024, he has 4.6 million followers on Facebook , 1.5 million followers on Instagram , and 5.8 million followers on Twitter.
- He is a dog lover and has a pet dog named Logan.
Zaheer Khan with his pet dog, Logan
- He likes drinking alcoholic beverages such as wine with his wife and friends.
Zaheer Khan drinking wine with his wife, Sagarika Ghatge
- He likes playing golf during his free time.
Zaheer Khan (extreme left) playing golf
- During his initial playing days, he was a very aggressive batsman. In an ODI match against Zimbabwe in December 2000, he hit 4 sixes in the last 4 balls of the Indian innings, bowled by Henry Olonga.
- He was considered a threat to left-handed batsmen. He has dismissed Graeme Smith (most dismissals-14 times), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Matthew Hayden more than 10 times.
- His bowling speed was often recorded above 140 kph (87 mph). His fastest ball was clocked at 147 kph (91 mph) against Holland in the 2003 ODI World Cup.
- Zaheer became the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants, an IPL franchise, by replacing Gautam Gambhir on 28 August 2024.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education