Kolkata, Oct 15 (IANS): Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly praised fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday.

The 37-year-old ended his international career due to a series of injuries, the latest being a shoulder complaint. He made his India debut in 2000 and played his last game for the country in 2014 against New Zealand at Wellington.

He left the stage after playing in 92 Tests and 200 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), picking up 282 and 311 wickets, respectively. He also claimed 17 wickets in as many T20 internationals.

“I had a word with him today (Thursday) morning, he will be playing the IPL (Indian Premier League). At 37 it is not a surprise, he was a great bowler for India," Ganguly, under whose captaincy Zaheer made his debut, told reporters at a press conference where he took over as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president.

"It was the absolutely right time for such a decision and I don’t think they would have picked him, so it’s time to go."