"It's the Circle of Life, And it moves us all, Through despair and hope, Through faith and love, Till we find our place, On the path unwinding, In the Circle, The Circle of Life...” penned by Tim Rice for the Lion King, the words ring true for Zaheer Khan, who saw many ups and downs during his long and illustrious career that brought joy not only to the Indian fans but also to the lovers of the game across countries. On October 15, 2015, the left-arm pacer bid adieu to international cricket. From running in fast and hitting the deck hard with a leap at the crease to becoming a wily fast bowler who deceived the batsmen with his guile and variations, Zaheer Khan had evolved into a master craftsman by the time he announced his retirement. He excelled not only in the art of swing bowling but also reveled in utilising reverse swing to trap the batsman. The left-arm pacer had earned the respect of many of his contemporary batsmen as he continued to pull off matches for India. While speaking to bcci.tv about his eventful journey Zaheer Khan said that ‘life had come full circle and is proud of his achievements.’ Excerpts from the interview: How did the decision to retire from international cricket come about? As I was preparing or the upcoming season, I realised somewhere down the line as I started thinking about things I had a word with my family, my brothers and then I continued that dialogue with my friends as well and coaches. I had a word with Sudhir Naik and TA Sekar. I spoke to Ashish (Nehra), Ajit (Agarkar) and Sachin (Tendulkar) as well. I shared my thoughts and stuff like that and it was somehow making sense. And I felt that it is the right time for me to say bye to international cricket. How do you sum up the long career that spanned 92 Tests and 200 ODIs? It has been a fantastic journey. I have enjoyed every moment of it. Yes, there have been ups and downs and to come back from all the downs has been something special. ‘Zak is back’ saying is something which will always stay with me; in terms of any setback I have come back and made my mark again and achieved what I had to achieve. I feel proud of the fact, for the way things have gone for me and the way I have reacted to the situation which I have been put under. How did you keep working your way through the difficult phases? I have always believed that I should control the controllable and have a clear cut plan and work towards it. And when you are working towards it you shouldn’t think of anything else and that has been my motivation. I always believed that things can turnaround so I just continue going (along) with that. Who were the influences who helped you get up and get going again? All my friends have always been there and my family. There are so many people to thank, it’s been amazing, (the) different phases , (the) difficult phases. A lot of people have backed me at the right time and this is an opportunity for me to thank everyone. Also, I thank all the fans as well, who have kept me going and backed me right through out. They are the ones who actually started ‘Zak is back’, so a big thank you to them. What are the first impressions, your earliest memories of international cricket? The earliest memory, I was very excited. Obviously it’s been a dream to represent your country. Starting from Shrirampur, I never really thought even in my wildest dreams that I will be making it to the international level. But, then the journey started in Mumbai. I landed at the National Cricket Club where I got very valuable advice from Sudhir Naik sir and since then things were just falling in place for me. When I look back I feel that if one link was missing I wouldn’t have been where I am today, be it (MRF) Pace Foundation and working with Dennis Lillie and Mr TA Sekar or going to Baroda and making my Ranji (Trophy) debut from there and then coming back to Mumbai and actually finishing with Mumbai. So I feel it’s been a full circle with which my life has gone. Which batsmen have you enjoyed the most bowling at? All the lower-order batsmen (laughs), to get their wickets is easy. (Besides Smith, Sangakkara had recently said that you were difficult to bat against.) It’s a great compliment coming from someone like him who has performed at the highest level and consistently achieved so much at the international level. These are the things that you look back on and feel proud about. As a bowler, these are the things which are much more satisfying to know, that the batsmen were looking at me like that. I have always enjoyed the challenge and I have always enjoyed bowling to the best of the batsmen and trying to work their (wicket) out. It has been amazing! Besides the 2011 ICC World Cup are there any other memories that stand out? The whole journey has been fantastic! The World Cup was really special. It comes once in four years and everyone looks forward to it. It’s a big stage. You want to do well for your country all the time, but winning the World Cup for your country puts you right up there and to be able to achieve that once in your career is really special in any cricketer’s life. Who have influenced you as a bowler, a cricketer and person? I have achieved everything, I owe it to cricket. Cricket has been my life for the last 20 years. Since the time I left Shrirampur back in 1996 I have been pretty much on the road, so it’s been amazing. There are a lot of people to thank and lot of people have backed my and it’s been an amazing journey. When I look back I feel proud about it. Which is the one dismissal that stands when you look back? Actually I have not been that kind of a person (laughs). I find it hard to remember all the things but there are a few spells which stay in your mind like specially the ones where the ball was reversing so I remember getting that different kind of high when I was on the cricket field and the ball is doing some reverse I really enjoyed those phases. You set the benchmark for the upcoming bowlers, what is the way forward for them? (Smiles) the platform is set now, it is up to the youngsters to take it forward.