Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan, apart from being a great commentator, also has some major fashion goals. This week, The Pioneer got a chance to have a chat with the fast-medium
left-arm bowler as he discussed his fashion apart from being the spokesperson that he is.
Tejal Sinha
Rather than dressing to impress, easy and comfy wear has certainly taken over as the most popular fashion trend. Not just for what Zaheer wears at home but also for everyday wear, comfort has emerged as the key factor.
Well, and now that it’s about fashion, how can one not talk about celebs? And thanks to them, comfy and breezy clothing is in-trend. And our Indian cricketers are no less! One of them is former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan. Though he has bid adieu to cricket, his fanbase has still been the same, if truth be told, growing and how!
Making it obvious, he appreciates precision and perfection, on and off the pitch. Again, when it’s off the pitch, one cannot turn a blind eye to Zaheer and his darling wife, Sagarika Ghatge; they are couple goals. The couple recently walked the ramp together at the Seagram’s Longitude 77 ramp, and we got a chance to catch up with the sportsperson for an exclusive chat for the Celeb Talk segment.
“Fashion to me means being comfortable in what you’re wearing,” begins the second-most successful Indian pace bowler in Test cricket, after Kapil Dev. “I think that’s very important when one talks about fashion, or you just have to find your own fit. Outdoors is something that, always, being a sportsperson, really gets me going. We’ve had some wonderful designers who put together a very nice collection of outfits that described our heritage.”
Walking the ramp with his better half just kept him going. While Sagarika was anyway known for the fashion and rampwalks, this being their first ramp walk together surely became a memorable one!
People might often think that, as a sportsperson, you may be used to only sportswear. Undeniably, he does say that sports come first, but that’s just the beginning! “You kind of get to enjoy the other aspects of fashion, clothing, and the way you dress up. My stylist is my wife, so I don’t have to think too much. I can focus on my sportswear, and she can focus on the rest.”
Fashion is something that hasn’t changed much for him. Keep in mind that you should be comfortable with your choices and what you feel good about wearing. So, that one thing has been very constant with him. “Be it transitioning from playing to doing other things, other than sports and business is just about focusing on the crux of things, that is how I have always looked at it. The transition has been an interesting one, I would say.”
Wait, business? Yes, for the unaware, he also owns a brand called Sher Singh. Designed as a collaboration between global design experts from New York and New Delhi, Sher Singh is the world’s first online clothing brand from India that embodies contemporary Indian concepts using world-class international quality and designs.
Taking us more in detail, he shares, “Sher Singh was something that was, again, close to being the Indian brand, which can have that kind of an impact. So, it’s something, and I really enjoyed the journey. Eventually, it moved on from one step or one phase to the next. But I was happy that I picked the right one for it to grow, and it has been a very good learning experience for me in terms of identifying and investing in brands.”
But talking of fashion, he says it is a bit of both—necessity and luxury. However, more on the luxury side!
Simple, comfortable, elegant-looking, and something that will make him look confident are what he always looks for.
“I think if you look at a lot of trends at times, I’m more of a classic guy. So, for me, I will always be inclined toward those kinds of choices. I think a lot of people will find it very difficult to make me comfortable with a lot of trends, which I might not approve of. Just be yourself; that’s something that is very important. It’s about you and not about the clothes, which you are wearing.”
So, for him, balance is the key that makes his choices dependent.
