Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan celebrates his 41st birthday on Monday. Born on October 7, 1978, the left-arm quick is one of the finest pacers to have graced the game. Zaheer started his career as an express pacer and didn't take long to cement his place in the team. The veteran led the Indian pace attack for more than a decade and also guided India to several victories. The Shrirampur-born cricketer could exploit the new ball well and also proved lethal in the death overs. Along with the ability to deliver a tight line and length, Zaheer also had many variations in his armoury, which gave him success in all the formats of the game.

The former Indian star made his international debut in November 2000 and since then, Zaheer had been on a mission to torment the best of batsmen. The former quick played 92 Tests in which he claimed 311, which included 11 five-wicket hauls and a solitary 10-wicket haul. While in ODIs, Zaheer took 282 wickets from 200 matches. He was also the joint-highest wicket-taker (21) alongside Pakistan's Shahid Afridi in the 2011 World Cup. In T20Is, the pacer claimed 17 wickets in as many matches. Talking about Zaheer's astonishing international career, let's focus on five of the best spells bowled by the former in Indian jersey.

4/59 and 5/75 Versus England in Nottingham

The second Test of India's 2007 Tour of England witnessed a Zaheer Khan special performance. The bowler delivered fantastic spells in both the innings and the hosts were left awestruck. Khan claimed four wickets in England's first innings and bettered his taking in the third innings of the match by claiming a five-wicket haul. The bowler's efforts proved to be fruitful as India won the Test by seven wickets.

5/42 Against Sri Lanka in Margao

The Indian stalwart was at his premium best in the third ODI of Sri Lanka's 2007 Tour of India. Mahela Jayawardene's decision to bat first proved to be a disaster as the visitors let down their guards against Zaheer's flabbergasting spell. The pacer took five wickets and Sri Lanka managed only 230 runs in the first innings. Later, India comfortably chased down the target and registered a five-wicket victory.

5/94 and 3/43 Against Australia in Mohali

The first Test of Australia's 2010 Tour of India might be remembered for VVS Laxman's gritty innings but the chief-architect of the victory was Zaheer Khan. In a batting-friendly wicket, the left-arm quick took a five-fer in the first innings and restricted the visitors to a score of 428. The bowler went on to claim three more wickets in Australia's second innings which proved to be crucial as India clinched the encounter by one wicket.

3/62 and 7/87 Against Bangladesh in Dhaka

The Indian great bowled many fabulous spells in his great career but his best figures came in the second Test of India's 2007 Tour of Bangladesh. The hosts were shell shocked by the Indian bowlers and were on the backfoot throughout the match. Zaheer was the standout performer in the clash as he took three wickets in the first innings and added seven more to his tally in Bangladesh's second innings to complete his only 10-wicket haul in Tests. The Bangla Tigers failed to make any sort of come back and lost the match by 10 wickets.

4/42 Against New Zealand in Centurion

Zaheer will be remembered for his incredible performance in the 2011 World Cup but the pacer was quite lethal in the 2003 edition as well. The youngster made impeccable use of the ideal centurion wicket and castled the Kiwi batting line up. The quick claimed four wickets and New Zealand were bundled out for mere 146 runs in the first innings. In reply, India showed solid temperament with the bat and crossed the line with seven wickets in hand.

Zaheer played his last Test in February 2014 and announced retirement from the game on October 2015. Post his retirement, the former bowler became a part of several IPL franchises like Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians. Khan has also donned the commentator's hat in many matches and has been in touch with the game even after his retirement.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2019 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).