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The rise, fall and rise again of Zaheer Khan

Zaheer was lionised; his form fell away. He was criticised; he answered every criticism with wickets. When John Wright took over as national coach, he identified 'Zak' as the key to India's cricketing fortunes; coach and bowler went on to have a series of showdowns that reached an unfortunate peak when Zak took on Wright in the team dressing room, after the coach criticised his attitude on the field.

'Attitude' is the one reason Zaheer has remained on constant trial -- his great performances were seen as aberrations; increasingly, the enfant terrible of Indian cricket was viewed with a certain macabre fascination, by fans expecting, even waiting, for the next bad spell, the next horror show.

Image: Zaheer celebrates after dismissing Andrew Flintoff for a duck on the fifth day of the third Test at Headingley on August 26, 2002.