Mumbai, April 6: Zaheer Khan set the ball rolling for the World Cup 2011 final with a hat-trick of maidens. A dream opening spell that read 5-3-6-1 helped Zaheer exorcise the ghost of the 2003 final against Australia. In the process he became the first bowler to bowl three consecutive maidens in the World Cup final (Australia’s Glenn McGrath had also bowled three consecutive maidens in the 1999 World Cup, but they were not his first three overs).

At the end of the game, he emerged as World Cup’s leading wicket-taker along with Shahid Afridi, with 21 wickets to his credit.

The spearhead of the Indian bowling attack picked the wicket of Upul Tharanga off the first ball of the fourth over. Till then the Sri Lankan opener had not been able to score off the 18 deliveries that he faced from the pacer.

Kumar Sangakkara who replaced him took the first-run off Zaheer’s bowling on the twentieth ball the left-arm paceman bowled.

Zaheer led from the front right through the tournament, always getting India their first breakthrough. When not bowling, he was seen fulfilling his role to the T, guiding his teammates or setting the field for other bowlers.

In the final he was seen motivating and advising S Sreesanth after every ball as the mercurial Kerala lad went for runs. Indian skipper MS Dhoni never tired of giving Zaheer credit for the role he played in the World Cup and often said that the senior always had a Plan B ready.

A thinking cricketer and transformed bowler who relies on variation, he has mastered the art of trapping the batsmen. “Zak [Zaheer Khan] once in a while [can reach dangerous speeds], but overall we rely on what you say is deception – change in length, line, plans. That really works. Zak is brilliant at it,” the Indian skipper had said.

Given his history of injuries, fitness is always on everyone’s mind. Fortunately for India he played a tournament full of casualties without an incident. He was supported well by all-rounder and Player-of-the-Series Yuvraj Singh, who served as the strike bowler with an average of two wickets per game in the tournament.

Zaheer even earned accolades from the Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, who in the post-final conference, said, “I think [the win is] mainly due to their batting and Zaheer Khan. I have always stood firm on the point that after Chaminda Vaas and Wasim Akram, Zak’s right up there with those great bowlers.”

Gary Kirsten, during his last interaction with the media as India's coach, was full of praise for Zaheer. He said, "Zak is the best 135kmph bowler in the world. He has proved time and again that when we need a wicket, he can deliver the goods. He performs well under pressure. He has an idea of what he wants to do. I think he is an unbelievable bowler to the left-handers. The important thing is to find one or two quality seamers who can stay in the team for a longer time. I was really happy with the way Munaf [Patel] performed in the last 20 games, he has made a good comeback. Zak is the premier bowler. He is going to need support as there is a heavy load on these guys."