Former India fast bowler and one of the best left-arm quicks ever to play the game, Zaheer Khan celebrates his 40^th birthday today.

Born on October 7, 1978, and hailing from Shrirampur, Maharashtra; Zaheer Khan made an impactful debut for India in the 2000 ICC Knockout trophy in Nairobi, Kenya, bowling searing yorkers at speeds of over 145 kmph.

He became a regular of the new look Indian side under Sourav Ganguly and played in the finals of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. He finally tasted World Cup glory in 2011, at home, where he was also the joint highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

Zaheer was regarded as one of the best new and old ball bowlers with knowledge of swinging both kinds of balls. He was also no mug with the bat, with a Test best score of 75 against Bangladesh; but is more famous for hitting Zimbabwe’s Henry Olonga for four consecutive sixes in an over in an ODI match.

Zaheer Khan in total played 92 Tests, picking up 311 wickets and 200 ODIs, picking 282 wickets. He also played 17 T20Is and picked 17 wickets in a career spanning from 2000-2014.

As Zaheer turns a new chapter in life post-retirement and marriage with Bollywood actress Sagarika Ghatge, his former teammates wished Zaheer on his 40^th birthday on Twitter.

Here are some tweets: