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Zaheer Khan seems to have fallen from grace. To be really frank, one should have seen it coming; the signs were all there- the languid movements, the insipid bowling, his very steps lacked the usual bounce. His bowling attacks don’t cause as much flutter as they used to. There was a time when the cricketer was the best known left-arm bowler in the Indian cricketing industry. Zaheer Khan Profile was so impressive that he was often the first choice in bowling. He could maneuver the ball both ways. During the 2001 Ranji trophy series, he took eight wickets and was labeled the ‘Man of the match’. He was just a few months into professional cricket when he achieved the feat. When he was debuting for the Worcestershire County Cricket Club in England during 2006, he managed to single handedly take ten wickets that earned him the record as the first Worcestershire player to ever manage the amazing feat in over a century. During the India-Australia Test series that took place between 2008 and 2009, he surprised everyone with an all-around skillful performance in bowling as well as batting and consequently won the ‘Man of the Match’ award. He was instrumental in promoting India to the final rounds of the 2003 World Cup, completing the series as the fourth highest wicket taker. His one man bowling attack helped India’s 2011 World Cup campaign tilt in their favor. He is the current record holder for the highest Test score, when he amassed 75 runs against Bangladesh in the year of 2004. There are plenty more records in Zaheer Khan statistics. It is not a wonder that people are highly disappointed that he has put on a less than impressive form these days. When the team captain was questioned about Zaheer Khan’s dwindling profile, the skipper waived it off as a circumstantial problem. He said that his lethargic performance could be blamed on a number of things ranging from revved up batsmen to his fitness to certain indulgences. Zaheer Khan has in fact been rendered vulnerable by a number of injuries over the past few years. His exclusion from the squad competing in the Nagpur Test series was the cherry on the cake. But all hope is not lost; history has proved time and again that true talent never fades away into oblivion. A fine tuning now and then coupled with a healthy dose of self-esteem should help one get right back up on that horse.
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