Indian batting legend VVS Laxman on Monday paid rich tribute to his former national teammate and fast bowling maestro Zaheer Khan, stating that the journey of Zaheer from “tiny” Shrirampur to the “dizzy heights of success” highlighted the strength of his character.
“Daring to dream big and determined to chase those dreams, Zaheer Khan’s journey from tiny Shrirampur to the dizzy heights of success illustrated the strength of his character,” Laxman said in a tweet.
“His career-defining county stint at Worcester reiterated his desire to reinvent himself and shed comfort zones,” he added.
Zaheer made his international debut in an ODI against Kenya in 2000 and went on to have an illustrious career with the Indian national team. Khan played a pivotal role in India’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 campaign in which the Men in Blue were able to successfully lift the trophy after 28 years. Zaheer ended up as the tournament’s joint-highest wicket-taker along with Shahid Afridi (21 wickets).
Laxman had earlier announced that he would be paying tributes to players who had a rich influence on his career. The tribute to Zaheer was part of this initiative. Earlier, Laxman had paid tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath Virender Sehwag Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.