Zaheer Khan (Cricketer) Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More
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Wife: Sagarika Ghatge
Height: 5' 11"
Age: 46 Years
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | • Zak • Zakky • Zippy |
| Profession(s) | • Cricketer (Bowler) • Cricket Management Roles • Entrepreneur |
| Famous for | Highest wicket taker of 2011 ODI World cup |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.8 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 75 kg in pounds- 165 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Cricket | |
| International Debut | Test- On 10 November 2000 vs Bangladesh in Dhaka ODI- On 3 October 2000 vs Kenya in Nairobi T20- On 1 December 2006 vs South Africa in Johannesburg |
| Last match | Test- On 14 February 2014 against New Zealand in Wellington ODI- On 4 August 2012 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele T20- On 2 October 2012 against South Africa in Colombo |
| International Retirement | Zaheer Khan retired from international cricket on 15 October 2015. |
| Bowling Stats | Test He bowled in 165 innings in 92 matches in which he took 311 wickets with an average of 32.95, strike rate of 60.40, and economy of 3.27, he gave 10247 runs. He delivered 18785 balls. He took eleven 5-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. His best bowling in an innings was 7/87, and his best bowling in an match was 10/149. ODI He bowled in 197 innings in 200 matches in which he took 282 wickets with an average of 29.44, strike rate of 35.80, and economy of 4.93, he gave 8301 runs. He bowled 10097 balls. He took one 5-wicket haul. His best bowling in an match was 5/42. T20I He bowled in 17 matches in which he took 17 wickets with an average of 26.35, strike rate of 20.7, and economy of 7.63, he gave 448 runs. His best bowling in an match was 4/19. IPL He bowled in 100 matches in which he took 102 wickets with an average of 27.27, strike rate of 21.57, and economy of 7.59, he gave 2782 runs. He bowled 2200 balls. His best bowling in an match was 4/17. |
| Batting Stats | Test He batted in 127 innings in 92 matches in which he scored 1231 runs in 2381 balls with an average of 11.95 and strike rate of 51.70; his highest score was 75 runs. He scored 3 half centuries, and he hit 141 fours and 28 sixes. He remained not out 24 times and has 29 ducks to his name. ODI He batted in 101 innings in 200 matches in which he scored 792 runs in 1078 balls with an average of 12 and strike rate of 73.46; his highest score was 34 runs not out. He hit 69 fours and 24 sixes. He remained not out 35 times and has 15 ducks. T20I He batted in 4 innings in 17 matches in which he scored 13 runs in 10 balls with an average of 6.50 and strike rate of 130; his highest score was 9 runs. He hit 1 six and remained not out 2 times. IPL He batted in 32 innings in 100 matches in which he scored 117 runs in 141 balls with an average of 8.36 and strike rate of 82.98; his highest score was 23 runs not out. He hit 11 fours and 2 sixes. He remained not out 18 times and has 5 ducks to his name. |
| Fielding Stats | Test There are 19 catches to his name. ODI He has 43 catches to his name. T20I There are 2 catches to his name. IPL He has 21 catches to his name. |
| Jersey Number | #34 (India) #34 (Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians)  |
| Domestic/State Team | Club Cricket • Madras Rubber Factory (1998-2001) • Australian Cricket Academy (1999-2000) First-class/List-A/T20 • Mumbai Under-19 (1997-1998) • West Zone Under-19 (1997-1998) • Baroda (2000-2005) • Mumbai (2006-2014)  County • Worcestershire County Cricket Club (2006)  Indian Premier League (IPL) • Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013)  • Mumbai Indians (MI) (2009, 2010, 2014)  • Delhi Daredevils (renamed Delhi Capitals) (2015, 2016, 2017)  St. Moritz Ice Cricket • Badrutt’s Palace Diamonds (2018) Abu Dhabi T10 League • Bengal Tigers (2018)  • Delhi Bulls (2019)  Other Teams • India (2000-2014)  |
| Coach/Mentor | • Vidyadhar Paradkar • Sudhir Naik • T. A. Sekhar |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Left-arm medium fast |
| Favourite Ball | Knuckle ball |
| 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) |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • 2002: Named Cricketer of the Year by BCCI • 2007: Nominated for ICC Test Player of the Year • 2008: Wisden Cricketer of the Year • 2009: Nominated for Twenty20 Performer of the Year • 2011: Arjuna Award  • 2011: Nominated for ICC Cricketer of the Year, Test Player of the Year, and ODI Player of the Year  • 2011: Named in ICC Team of the 2011 ODI World Cup and Test Team of the Year • 2015: HT Most Stylish Personality of the Year • 2020: Padma Shri |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 8 October 1978 (Sunday) |
| Age (as of 2024) | 46 Years |
| Birthplace | Shrirampur, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India |
| Zodiac sign | Libra |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Shrirampur |
| School | • Hind Seva Mandal’s New Marathi Primary School, Shrirampur • KJ Somaiyya Secondary School, Shrirampur |
| College/University | Did not attend |
| Educational Qualification | 12th [1]LinkedIn - Zaheer Khan |
| Religion | Islam |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Hobbies | • Travelling • Reading • Playing Golf  |
| Controversies | Fight with a fan Zaheer Khan was playing in an international match in Centurion, South Africa in 2006 when some Indian origin people hurled abuses at Indian players and their families. Head of the Northern Cricket Union, Elize Lombard, stated that Darell Vorster, her security chief, told her that Khan threw a bottle which was lying near the boundary rope, to a fan who threw the bottle back following which Khan did not do anything in return. Allegedly, the fan named Nitin later entered the Indian dressing room where Khan caught his collar and threatened to beat him. Nitin claimed that he wanted to know the reason for throwing the bottle and hence, he went to the dressing room. Rajan Nair, Indian media manager, said that a man entered the Indian dressing room and had been arrested. Khan said that he was involved in any fight or such accident with a fan. [2]Hindustan Times Jelly Beans Incident In July 2007, he was playing in a test match against England at Nottingham and saw some jelly beans at the crease when he came to bat during the first innings of the match. He removed those beans, and a few minutes later, he again saw some jelly beans following which he became angry. He showed those beans to the on-field umpire, said some words to the English fielders and showed his bat to Kevin Pietersen.  Khan said in an interview that he was not happy with the acts of English players and took his revenge in the second innings by taking 5 wickets for 75 runs. After India won the match, Michael Vaughan apologized for the incident as the Indian management accused England team of not playing according to the spirit of the game. [3]Sky Sports [4]Hindustan Times Fight with police He was staying a hotel in Chennai, Tamil Nadu before a test match against England in 2008. A Tamil Nadu cricketer, his friend, came to meet him whose name was not on the list of approved visitors due to which Tamil Nadu police stopped him and did not allow him to go to Khan's room. Khan came to the reception and had a verbal spat with police after which his friend was permitted to go inside the hotel. Later, the incident was reported to the BCCI and Indian team management by Tamil Nadu police. [5]Hindustan Times |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | • Isha Sharvani (Actress) (2005-2012) • Sagarika Ghatge (Actress)  |
| Marriage Date | 23 November 2017 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Sagarika Ghatge (Actress) |
| Children | Son- None Daughter- None |
| Parents | Father- Bakhtiyar Khan (Photographer) Mother- Zakia Khan (Teacher)  |
| Siblings | Brother- 2 • Zeeshan Khan (Elder; Engineer)  • Anees Khan (Younger; has done hotel management course in the United Kingdom (UK); married to Alifya Sayed)  |
| Favourites | |
| Cricketer | Batsman- Sachin Tendulkar, Viv Richards Bowler- Wasim Akram |
| Food | Mutton Biryani |
| Dessert | Cheesecake |
| Actor(s) | Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan |
| Athlete | Roger Federer |
| Film(s) | Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Lakshya (2004), Chak De! India (2007), Rock On!! (2008), 3 Idiots (2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | • Honda Accord • Toyota Fortuner SUV • Audi A8 • Mercedes Benz S-Class  |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary/Income (approx.) | Rs 50 lakh [6]MensXP Note: This income is for February 2024. |
| Assets/Properties | 4,000 sq ft duplex property worth Rs 11.5 crore [7]Moneycontrol Note: The property is located on the 40th and 41st floor of the Indiabulls Sky Project located on Senapati Bapat Marg, Parel, Mumbai. He paid a stamp duty of Rs 37.4 lakh for the 3957 sq ft (carpet area) which he bought in January 2021. |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs 182 crores [8]MensXP Note: This net worth is for February 2024. |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Zaheer Khan
- He started playing cricket at a young age while living in Shrirampur.
A childhood photo of Zaheer Khan
- During his early days, he used to read Australian cricketer Dennis Lillee’s book, The Art of Fast Bowling.
- His father was the one who initially discovered his bowling talent and took him to Mumbai when he was 18 years old in 1996 after passing 12th standard.
Zaheer Khan learning the grip of the ball during his early days
- During his early days in Mumbai, he trained under Vidya Paradkar at National Cricket Club.
Zaheer Khan with Vidya Paradkar (left)
- He was on his way to join a Mechanical Engineering degree course, but at the suggestion of his coach Sudhir Naik, he changed his mind and decided to become a professional cricketer.
Zaheer Khan (left) with Sudhir Naik (right)
- While training under Naik, he earned a monthly salary of Rs 5000 while working at SunGrace Mafatlal company.
- He had a fear of flying during his early days in cricket and asked his coach Vidyadhar Paradkar to sit beside him during a flight from Mumbai to Madhya Pradesh.
- In the 1997-1998 season, he started playing for Mumbai Under-19 after which his name spread for his natural pace.
Zaheer Khan during his early cricket playing days
- He met coach T. A. Sekhar at MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai who suggested that he should play for Baroda.
- In the final match of his debut Ranji season (2000-2001), he 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 NatWest Trophy final in 2002, he took 3 wickets for 62 runs and helped India emerge as the winner. The famous incident when Sourav Ganguly took off his t-shirt at Lord’s London happened after this match; he was the last man standing in the match.
Zaheer Khan (extreme left) with Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Mohammad Kaif celebrating after winning the NatWest Series
- In December 2002, he took his first test 5-wicket haul with 5 wickets for 53 runs in the first innings against New Zealand.
Zaheer Khan with Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, and Sachin Tendulkar (right to left) during his early days for the Indian national team
- He took 18 wickets in 11 matches, in the 2003 ODI World Cup held in South Africa, at an average of 20.78, an economy rate of 4.23, and a strike rate of 29.44.
Zaheer Khan during the 2003 ODI World Cup
- In 2005, he opened a restaurant called ZK’s in Pune.
Zaheer Khan in his restaurant, ZK’s
- During a Test match against Pakistan in Bengaluru in 2005, a girl from the crowd proposed to him. The female fan was seen holding a placard with ‘Zaheer, I Love You’ written on it. Later, Khan was shown on the screen when he was sitting with Yuvraj Singh in the dugout. The girl gave a flying kiss to Khan who also replied with a flying kiss.
@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
- On 14 February 2007, he took his only ODI 5-wicket haul with 5 wickets for 42 runs against Sri Lanka.
- He took 5 wickets in 3 matches, in the 2007 ODI World Cup held in West Indies, at an average of 24.40, an economy rate of 4.21, and a strike rate of 34.80.
- In January 2010, he took his only test 10-wicket haul by taking 3 wickets for 62 runs in the first innings and 7 wickets for 87 runs in the second innings.
Zaheer Khan bowling in a test match
- He became popular after becoming the highest wicket-taker of the 2011 ODI World Cup held in India which India won. He took 21 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 18.76, an economy rate of 4.83, and a strike rate of 23.29.
Zaheer Khan with 2011 ODI World Cup Trophy
- Zaheer Khan has played in 3 ODI World Cups. He took 7 wickets in 5 matches in the 2009 T20 World Cup held in England, 2 wickets in 3 matches in the 2010 T20 World Cup held in West Indies, and 3 wickets in 4 matches in the 2012 T20 World Cup held in Sri Lanka.
Zaheer Khan bowling during the 2009 T20 World Cup
- While playing for Worcestershire against Esses in June 2006, he took 9 wickets for 138 runs in the first innings and missed taking the 10th wicket as wicket-keeper Steven Davies dropped a catch of Darren Gough, the last batsman.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) acquired him for $450 thousand against his base price of $200 thousand for the maiden season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the 2008 IPL auction.
Zaheer Khan during an IPL match for Royal Challengers Bangalore
- In the 2011 IPL auction, he was again acquired by RCB for Rs 4.14 crores. In 2014, during the IPL auction for season 7, Mumbai Indians (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
- In 2013, he opened Toss Sports Lounge on the 2nd Floor, Winners Court, 23 Sahani Sujan Park, Near NIBM, Lulla Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune followed by another restaurant Zaheer Khan’s Dine Fine on the Ground Floor, Winners Court, 23 Sahani Sujan Park, Near NIBM, Lulla Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune in 2014; his brother, Anees Khan, manages these under Zaheer Khan’s Hospitality Private Limited. [9]GQ India
Zaheer Khan with Chris Gayle (right) at Toss Sports Lounge
- He opened the ProSport Fitness gym and physiotherapy centre in Lower Parel, Mumbai in 2014. Cricket trainers Adrian Le Roux and Andrew Leipus were appointed as consultants.
Zaheer Khan at ProSport Fitness gym and physiotherapy centre
- He opened one more fitness hub in Nashik in 2016 and said in an interview that he would open such hubs in 15 Indian cities. [10]The Economic Times
- In the 2015 IPL auction, Zaheer Khan was acquired by Delhi Daredevils (renamed Delhi Capitals) for Rs 4 crore against his base price of Rs 1 crore. He also captained them in 2016 and 2017.
Zaheer Khan with Mohammed Shami (left) when they played for Delhi Daredevils
- He achieved a milestone in his last IPL season in 2017 as he became the 8th Indian bowler (10th overall), to pick 100 IPL wickets.
- He was unable to play for continuous periods due to frequent injuries. He underwent multiple surgeries to cure his hamstring, ankle, knee, and shoulder. His fans often used the chant ‘Zak is back’ whenever he made a comeback.
Zaheer Khan holding his hamstring after getting injured
- The IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) appointed him as Director of Cricket Operations in December 2018. He became the Global head of cricket development for MI in September 2022.
Zaheer Khan with Mahela Jayawardene (right) after being appointed as Global head of cricket development
- Zaheer Khan has been featured in many cricket discussion shows as a panellist and also served as a commentator in various IPL and international matches.
Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, and VVS Laxman (right to left) doing commentary during an IPL match
- He co-founded a mobile application named StepSetGo (SSG) in 2019 with Shivjeet Ghatge (CEO), Mishaal Turakhia (CPO) and Abhay Pai (CTO) with fitness theme. In 2021, it had 9 million (90 lakh) downloads and 5 lakh active users. [11]Moneycontrol
Zaheer Khan during an ad campaign for StepSetGo
- Zaheer Khan often followed superstitions while playing cricket. His pre-match rituals included tying the left shoe before the right shoe. He considered a yellow handkerchief as his lucky charm and always kept it in his pocket.
- He was a nightmare for the left-hand batsman as he was the 3rd highest wicket-taker of the lefties in Test matches with 237 wickets. He dismissed Graeme Smith (most dismissals-14 times), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Matthew Hayden more than 10 times.
- His bowling speed was often clocked above 140 kph (87 mph). His fastest ball was bowled during the 2003 ODI World Cup which was recorded at 147 kph (91 mph) against Holland.
- During his initial playing days, He was a very aggressive batsman during his early international cricket days. In December 2000, during an ODI match against Zimbabwe, he hit 4 sixes in the last 4 balls of the Indian innings, bowled by Henry Olonga.
- During a Test match against New Zealand at Basin Reserve in 2014, Ishant Sharma allegedly abused Zaheer after he fielded slowly on the boundary line. Sharma later clarified and said that Brendon McCullum was scoring runs, and he said those words for himself, not Khan who was like a mentor to him. [12]Dainik Jagran
- Zaheer Khan has often been criticised by radical Muslims. After his marriage to Sagarika Ghatge who is a Hindu, he received several hate messages. He was also targeted by extremists for celebrating Hindu festivals such as Diwali and going to Hindu temples.
Zaheer Khan And Sagarika Ghatge (right)
- He was famous for intense training before big tournaments and was popular for his swing bowling. He learnt and perfected the craft of bowling knuckle ball for a year before the 2011 ODI World Cup which he used to take several wickets in the tournament.
- Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have a few similar test stats. Both have taken 104 wickets in India and 207 wickets abroad, with eleven 5-wicket hauls; they have taken 311 wickets each.
A photo comparing Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma’s stats
- He has walked the ramp in many fashion shows and is considered a fashion icon. He became the brand ambassador of the fashion brand Sher Singh in 2011.
Zaheer Khan with Sagarika Ghatge (right) during a fashion show
- He has been featured in advertisements for several companies. He became the brand ambassador of the sports betting platform SportsBaazi in 2021.
- Zaheer Khan talked about Sourav Ganguly and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an interview and said that while Ganguly gave confidence to young boys and turned them into match winners, Dhoni transformed those boys into world-beaters.
Zaheer Khan with Sourav Ganguly (right)
- While talking about Khan in an interview, Dhoni described him as Sachin Tendulkar of Indian bowling and one of the most intelligent pacers.
Zaheer Khan (in white blazer) with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (extreme right)
- He has a large fan base on social media. As of February 2024, he has 4.6 million followers on Facebook [13]Facebook – Zaheer Khan, 1.5 million followers on Instagram [14]Instagram – Zaheer Khan, and 5.8 million followers on Twitter. [15]Twitter – Zaheer Khan
- He is fond of dogs and owns a pet dog named Logan.
Zaheer Khan with his wife and dog
- He often drinks alcoholic beverages such as wine with his wife and friends.
Zaheer Khan drinking wine
- On 28 August 2024, he was appointed as the mentor of the IPL team Lucknow Super Giants, replacing Gautam Gambhir.
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