Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin Profile

Full Name: Mohammad Azharuddin
Born: 8th of February, 1968, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), India
Full Name: Mohammad Azharuddin
Born: February 8, 1963, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Major teams: India, Derbyshire, Hyderabad
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Mohammad Azharuddin - Achievements:

• Scored 22 centuries in Test Cricket with an average score of 45 runs.
• Scored 7 centuries in One Day International (ODI) Cricket with an average of 37 runs.
• Has been the only player to have hit three consecutive centuries in first three Tests
• Has been the only player in the world Cricket to have taken 156 catches in One Day International (ODI) Cricket
• Got India 14 Test and 103 ODI wins during his captainship, making him one of the most successful Cricket captains India has ever got
• Has scored fastest ODI century by an Indian off 62 balls
• The first player to have played more than 300 ODIs
• Was awarded Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1991

Mohammad Azharuddin - Early Life

Mohammad Azharuddin, one of the best known players and captains the Indian Cricket team has ever had, was born and brought up in Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh. He studied in a Catholic convent school named All Saints High School, which has been the Alma Mater to some other prominent Indian Cricketers too, including Venkatapathy Raju and Noel David.

Mohammad Azharuddin - The Batting Maestro 

Azharuddin has been most famous for his wonderful wrist flicks that transformed a Cricket match into a poetic creation with aesthetic nuances of a masterpiece. Eventually, Azharuddin showed the best of his batting capabilities against spin bowlers. In fact, John Woodcock, one of the well known Cricket writers had once quoted that asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby! His smooth and clean batting style was often compared with the same of David Gower, a batsman from England.

Mohammad Azharuddin - Darker Side of the Story 

But as every story has its dark twists, Azharuddin’s life too saw its bad moments. Hansie Croje, the captain of the South African Cricket team who had confessed his role in international match fixing, had taken Azharuddin’s name regarding his involvement in the scandal. Further, Central Bureau of Investigation, the prime investigation agency of India looked into the matter and found Azharuddin guilty of receiving money from bookies to fix Cricket matches. The CBI also found Azharuddin involved in bringing other players along with him into the dirty game, and as a consequence the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Azharuddin from playing Cricket for his lifetime in the year 2000. Ironically, Azharuddin had played 99 Test Cricket matches in his life till then and was on the verge to enter the coveted 100 Test Cricket Club. Although the ban was lifted in the year 2006, he couldn’t make the dream come true.

Mohammad Azharuddin - Political Foray 

On the 19th of February 2009, Azharuddin formally joined the Indian National Congress Party. He contested the General Elections 2009 from the Moradabad seat in Uttar Pradesh  and is now a Member of Parliament.