Of all the pace bowlers that India has produced, dating back to Amar Singh and Mohammad Nissar in the 1930s, only Kapil Dev has taken more than Zaheer Khan's 291 Test wickets.
In one-day internationals, only Anil Kumble (337), Javagal Srinath (315) and Ajit Agarkar (288) have more than Zaheer's 282.
Zaheer has been integral to some of Indian cricket's finest recent moments.
There would have been no series win in England in 2007 but for his nine wickets at Trent Bridge. There is no telling what course India's World Cup run would have taken last year if not for his game-turning spell against the West Indies.
When he broke through in 2000, Zaheer was genuinely quick. By the time he became a fixture in the side though, he was no longer a speed merchant. He turns 34 on the day of the World Twenty20 final and the years have seen him mature into a bowler who outfoxes batsmen, as opposed to blasting them out.
His ability to swing the ball both ways, and to move it off the seam, has been a huge factor in recent Indian successes.
But as good as he is in the Test or one-day arenas, Zaheer appears a misfit in Twenty20. He was not part of the team that won the World T20 in 2007, and has just 14 wickets from 14 games at an economy of nearly eight. In a format that does not allow him time to set up batsmen, he looks lost. His natural length feeds the big hitters, and the attempted yorkers are increasingly telegraphed. If India are to progress, they may need to play Ashok Dinda instead.
