Former India batsman VVS Laxman on Monday heaped praise on Zaheer Khan, saying the pacer's journey from Shrirampur to the dizzy heights of success illustrated the strength of his character. Laxman shared a photo of Zaheer as part of his initiative of paying tribute to his teammates who influenced him immensely. "Daring to dream big & determined to chase those dreams, @ImZaheer's journey from tiny Shrirampur to the dizzy heights of success illustrated the strength of his character. His career-defining county stint at Worcester reiterated his desire to reinvent himself & shed comfort zones," Laxman tweeted.
Zaheer Khan is often viewed as one of the most lethal pacers to come out of India.
He ended up as one of the greatest new-ball bowlers of all time and he was exceptional against left-handed batters.
Zaheer was an expert at the art of reverse-swing and was a part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team.
He made his debut in the ICC Knockout Cup in 2000.
Along with Ashish Nehra and Javagal Srinath, Zaheer formed India's potent pace attack during the 2003 World Cup.
Zaheer also had a county stint with Worcestershire and the county season helped the pacer to further enhance his skills. He picked up 10 wickets on debut for the county, becoming the first player in over a hundred years to achieve the feat.
The pacer played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is for India, managing to pick up 601 wickets across all the three formats.
Zaheer decided to retire from international cricket in 2016 and he paved the way for youngsters like Mohammed Shami.