Zaheer Khan, a left-arm fast-medium bowler is one of the finest bowlers to don the Indian jersey. He had got the ability to swing the new ball and reverse swing the old one. Over the years, he had been an integral part of the Indian bowling department with his ability to take important wickets in important situations. Khan had represented his nation in all the three formats of the game. As far as the longest format of the game in concerned, he has played in 92 games and taken 311 wickets. In this article, we will have a look at the top ten test bowling figures by this Indian legend.
1. 5/95 Vs Australia
One of the best performances Zak produced was against the Aussies down under in the first test of the 2003 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Held at the Gabba, Brisbane, Zaheer Khan bowled a fiery spell of 23 overs, conceding 95 runs and claiming the all important wickets of Australian stars Hayden, Ricky Ponting, captain Steve Waugh, Simon Katich and wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist. His superb spell helped India bundle out the hosts for a total of 323 in their first innings. The match, however ended in a draw.
2. 5/94 Vs Australia
In 2010, Australia visited India for a 2-test Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the first test at Mohali, Australia posted a total of 428 runs on the board in their first innings. The only Indian bowler who impressed in that match was none other than Zaheer Khan. In the first innings, he bowled 30 long overs and conceded just 94 runs. He also claimed five important wickets of the Aussies, dismissing Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Johnson, Tim Paine and opener Simon Katich. He also claimed three wickets in the second innings, which helped him to win the Man of the Match award. India won the match by the barest of margins, beating their counterpart by just one wicket.
3. 5/91 Vs Australia
It seems Zaheer Khan loved playing against the Aussies. This Indian veteran bowler got another fifer against them in the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the 1st test at Bangalore. Bowling first, Khan dismissed the dangerous opposition opener Hayden early in the innings with Australia yet to open their account. Later on, he also claimed two vital wickets of Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke. He added a couple of more wickets to his tally by dismissing Lee and Johnson at the end. Khan ended his spell with a magnificent 5/91, helping India to restrict the visitors to 430 runs in their first innings. The match eventually ended in a draw. However, Zaheer was awarded the Man of the Match award for his excellent performance.
4. 5/75 Vs England
India and England locked horns for a 3-test match series in 2007 in the United Kingdom. In the second test match held at Nottingham, Zaheer Khan was at his best in both the innings. While he took 4 wickets in the first innings, he claimed a fifer in the second. He was the most economical Indian bowler in the second innings as he conceded just 75 runs in his 27 overs and dismissed both the opposition openers along with Paul Collingwood, Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell. His fiery spell shook the British army as they set the Indians a mere target of 73 runs in their second innings, which the visitors chased down comfortably. Zaheer was awarded the Player of the Match for this scintillating display.
5. 5/72 Vs Sri Lanka
In the third and final test of the series between India and Srilanka in 2009, held at his hometown Mumbai, Zaheer Khan bowled yet another excellent spell in the second innings of the match. Though he was not very impressive in the first innings, his fifer dismantled the Srilankan team in the second innings. His victims included Lankan batting stars Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Samaraweera, and two tail-enders. India went on to win the match and seal the series 2-0.
6. 5/65 Vs New Zealand
Zaheer’s 5th-best bowling figure in test came against the Kiwis in 2009 when India played against them in the 3rd test match of the series at Wellington. When the hosts came out to bat in reply to India’s first innings total of 379, Indian spearhead Zaheer Khan dismantled their batting lineup early in the innings. He bowled a total of 18 overs, conceded 65 runs and got 5 wickets in that innings. His victims included Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, McIntosh, Jesse Ryder and Tim Southee.
7. 5/53 Vs New Zealand
Another stunning performance by the Indian left-arm pacer came against the New Zealand, this time in 2002 in the first test of the series at Wellington. Though India suffered a heavy defeat in this match by 10 wickets, Zaheer was the only outstanding performer of the team. Bowling 25 overs, he conceded just 53 runs and took 5 important New Zealand wickets in their first innings. He also bowled 8 maiden overs in this spell. However, lack of contributions from his teammates meant the hosts comfortably beat the visitors and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
8. 5/34 Vs Bangladesh
In the second test of the series between the two Asian nations, Zaheer Khan spearheaded the Indian bowling attack as they stormed to an innings-and-239-run win at Dhaka. In reply to India’s first innings total of 610, the Bangladesh batsmen never looked very convincing. They started losing wickets at regular intervals, thanks to a superb 10-over spell by Zaheer. He conceded just 34 runs and scalped 5 wickets in the process. This fifer in the first innings and a brace in the second helped the Mumbai-pacer win the Player of the Match award.
9. 5/29 Vs New Zealand
Zaheer Khan’s love affair with the Kiwis continued as he delivered another magical spell against them in a very low scoring test match at Hamilton in 2002. After India got bundled out for just 99 runs in their first innings, Zaheer Khan kept the match alive for the visitors as he scalped 5 wickets in his quota of 13.2 overs, conceding just 29 runs. Thanks to his brilliant bowling, India took a lead of 5 runs in the first innings. However, this joy was short-lived as the hosts bounced back in the second innings and won the match by 6 wickets.
10. 7/87 Vs Bangladesh
Zaheer’s test best bowling figure of 7/87 came against neighbours Bangladesh in 2010 in the second test match of the 2-match series between these two nations. After picking up 3 wickets in the first innings, Zaheer got 7 wickets in the second, bowling 20.3 overs and conceding just 87 runs. His outstanding effort ensured India win the match by 10 wickets and whitewash Bangladesh 2-0. He was awarded the Man of the Match for getting 10 wickets in the match and also the Man of the Series for claiming 15 wickets in the two tests.
