Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin
Personal information
Full name Mohammad Azharuddin
Born (1963-02-08) 8 February 1963
Hyderabad, India
Nickname Azhar, ajju, Azzu[1]
Batting style Right-handed batsman
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Role Batsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 169) 31 December 1984 v England
Last Test 2 March 2000 v South Africa
ODI debut (cap 51) 20 January 1985 v England
Last ODI 3 June 2000 v Pakistan
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1981–2000 Hyderabad
1983–2001 South Zone
1991–1994 Derbyshire
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 99 334 229 433
Runs scored 6,216 9,378 15,855 12,941
Batting average 45.03 36.92 51.98 39.33
100s/50s 22/21 7/58 54/74 11/85
Top score 199 153* 226 161*
Balls bowled 13 552 1432 827
Wickets 0 12 17 15
Bowling average – 98.44 46.23 47.26
5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0
10 wickets in match – n/a 0 n/a
Best bowling -/- 3/19 3/36 3/19
Catches/stumpings 105/- 156/– 220/– 200/–
Source: CricketArchive, 13 February 2009
Mohammad Azharuddin
Member of Parliament
In office
16 May 2009 – 16 May 2014
Preceded by Shafiqur Rahman Barq
Succeeded by Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh
Constituency Moradabad
Personal details
Political party Indian National Congress
Spouse(s) Naureen (1987-1996)
Sangeeta Bijlani (1996-2010)
Children 2

Mohammad Azharuddin  pronunciation  (born 8 February 1963 in Hyderabad, then Andhra Pradesh now Telangana, India) is a former Indian cricket captain and politician. He was a middle order batsman and captained the Indian cricket team in the 1990s. He was elected as a member of the Parliament from Moradabad constituency on an Indian National Congress party ticket.[2]

Azharuddin was implicated in a cricket match-fixing scandal in 2000 and was banned by BCCI for life. On 8 November 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the ban describing it as "unsustainable".[3]

Early life and education

Azharuddin was born in Hyderabad to Mohammad Azizuddin and Yousuf Sultana on 8 February 1963.He attended All Saints High School, Hyderabad and graduated from Nizam College, Osmania University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.[4]

Cricket career

Azharuddin made his debut for the Indian cricket team in Test cricket in 1984 against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 31 December 1984 and hit three centuries in his first three matches.[2] Azharuddin scored a total of 22 centuries in test cricket, at an average of 45 and seven in ODIs at an average of 37. As a fielder, he took 156 catches in ODI cricket. He played 99 test matches with a highest score of 199, scored against Sri Lanka.[5] He was also the first player to play in 300 ODIs. He too has the record for scoring most number of hundreds in consecutive test matches from debut(3).[6]

Captaincy

Azharuddin became the captain of the Indian team succeeding Krishnamachari Srikkanth in 1989. He led the Indian team in 47 Test matches and 174 One Day Internationals. He led the team to victory in 90 ODIs, the highest until surpassed by M.S. Dhoni on 2 September 2014.[7] His 14 test match wins as captain was a record until it was beaten by Sourav Ganguly, who has 21 test match wins to his name.[5]

Match fixing scandal

Azharuddin was accused and found guilty of match-fixing in the match-fixing scandal in 2000.[8] Then South African captain Hansie Cronje indicated that Azharuddin was the one to introduce him to the bookies.[9] The ICC and the BCCI banned Azharuddin for life based on a report by the Central Bureau of Investigation.[10] He was also the first player ever to be banned for spot fixing.

On 8 November 2012, a Divisional Bench consisting of Justice Ashutosh Mohunta and Krishna Mohan Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court revoked the ban imposed.[3][11][12]

Style

Azharuddin was a middle-order batsman of India. He was known for a graceful and fluid batting style. John Woodcock, a cricket writer, said of him, "It's no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. It would be like expecting a greyhound to win the Epsom Derby."[13] Retired cricketer Venkataraghavan stated that "Azharuddin had the best wrists in the game".[5]

Political career

Azharuddin formally joined the Indian National Congress party on 19 February 2009. He won the Indian general election, 2009 from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh.[14]

Career statistics

Mohammad Azharuddin's career performance graph

Test career

Team Runs Average Centuries
Australia78039.002
England 197858.096
New Zealand115261.232
Pakistan108940.473
South Africa91541.004
Sri Lanka121555.235
West Indies53928.370
Zimbabwe5914.750
Total621545.0422

Awards

Azharuddin was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1986.[15] and he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991

Personal life

Azharuddin married Naureen in 1987 had two sons with her. In 1996, he divorced her and married actress Sangeeta Bijlani.[5] The marriage ended in a divorce in 2010 reportedly due to Azhar's alleged affair with badminton player Jwala Gutta, which was declined by the player.[16][17] His younger son Ayazuddin died in a road accident in 2011.

A Bollywood film Azhar, directed by Tony D'Souza, was based on his life. The film featured Emraan Hashmi as Mohammad Azharuddin, Nargis Fakhri as Sangeeta Bijlani and Prachi Desai as first wife Naureen. It was released on 13 May 2016.

International awards and records

One Day Internationals

Man of the Match awards

No. Opponent Venue Date Match Performance Result
1 Pakistan Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne 20 February 1985 93 (135 balls: 4x4)  India won by 6 wickets.[18]
2 New Zealand Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 25 January 1986 69 (90 balls: 8x4)  India won by 5 wickets.[19]
3 England Kennington Oval, London 24 May 1986 3 ct. ; 83 (154 balls: 8x4)  India won by 9 wickets.[20]
4 Australia Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 5 April 1987 84 (129 balls: 4x4, 1x6)  India won by 7 wickets.[21]
5 Australia Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi 22 October 1987 54* (45 balls: 5x4, 1x6); 3.4-0-19-3, 1 ct.  India won by 56 runs.[22]
6 New Zealand Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara 17 December 1988 108* (65 balls: 10x4, 3x6)  India won by 2 wickets.[23]
7 Sri Lanka Eden Gardens, Kolkata 4 January 1991 54* (39 balls: 4x4, 1x6)  India won by 7 wickets.[24]
8 England Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior 5 March 1993 95* (63 balls: 12x4, 1x6)  India won by 4 wickets.[25]
9 Sri Lanka R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 25 July 1993 53 (57 balls: 2x4, 1x6)  India won by 1 run.[26]
10 South Africa Eden Gardens, Kolkata 24 November 1993 90 (118 balls: 7x4, 1x6); 1 ct.  India won by 2 runs.[27]
11 Sri Lanka Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo 17 September 1994 1 run out, 45 (51 balls: 1x4, 1x6)  India won by 6 wickets.[28]
12 West Indies MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 23 October 1994 81 (84 balls: 7x4, 1x6)  India won by 4 wickets.[29]
13 Sri Lanka Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 14 April 1995 1 run out, 90* (89 balls: 5x4, 2x6)  India won by 8 wickets.[30]
14 Australia PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali 3 November 1996 94 (104 balls: 4x4, 2x6); 1 ct.  India won by 5 runs.[31]
15 Pakistan Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka 11 January 1998 100 (111 balls: 7x4)  India won by 18 runs.[32]
16 Zimbabwe Barabati Stadium, Cuttack 9 April 1998 153* (150 balls: 17x4, 1x6); 1 ct.  India won by 32 runs.[33]
17 Sri Lanka Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 6 November 1998 94 (131 balls: 3x4, 4x6)  India won by 3 wickets.[34]
18 Pakistan Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah 23 March 2000 1 ct., 54 (89 balls: 7x4)  India won by 5 wickets.[35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Of comparisons and imitations". The Hindu. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 Choudhury, Angikaar. "Mohammad Azharuddin: The rise and fall of the Nawab of Hyderabad". Scroll.in. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "AP high court lifts ban on Azharuddin". Wisden India. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Biography of Azhar". azhar.co.in. Retrieved 12 May 2016..
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Azhar: Here’s all the real life drama from Mohammad Azharuddin’s life". Indian Express. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Records | Test matches | Batting records | Hundreds in consecutive matches from debut | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  7. ↑ "Virat Kohli has to behave like a captain, says Mohammad Azharuddin". The Indian Express. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  8. ↑ "Corruption in Cricket". BBC News. 5 December 2000. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "The CBI Report, in full". Rediff. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  10. ↑ Full text of the CBI report on cricket match-fixing and related malpractises, October 2000. Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi (Report). Rediff. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  11. ↑ "Match fixing scandal". The Hindu. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Match fixing charges: Andhra court says life ban on Azharuddin illegal". NDTV. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Astill, James (2013). The Great Tamasha: Cricket, corruption and the turbulent rise of modern India. Wisden Sports Writing. p. 132. ISBN 978-1408156926.
  14. ↑ "Azhar starts new innings". IBN Live. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "List of Arjuna Awardees". Odisha book. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Jwala in, Bijli out of Azharuddin's life?". Times of India. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Azhar dating badminton player Jwala Gutta". India tv News. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket, 3rd Match: India v Pakistan at Melbourne, Feb 20, 1985".
  19. ↑ "Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, 10th Match: India v New Zealand at Adelaide, Jan 25, 1986".
  20. ↑ "India tour of England, 1st ODI: England v India at The Oval, May 24, 1986".
  21. ↑ "Sharjah Cup, 3rd Match: Australia v India at Sharjah, Apr 5, 1987".
  22. ↑ "Reliance World Cup, 15th Match: India v Australia at Delhi, Oct 22, 1987".
  23. ↑ "New Zealand tour of India, 4th ODI: India v New Zealand at Vadodara, Dec 17, 1988".
  24. ↑ "Asia Cup, Final: India v Sri Lanka at Kolkata, Jan 4, 1991".
  25. ↑ "England tour of India, 7th ODI: India v England at Gwalior, Mar 5, 1993".
  26. ↑ "India tour of Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (RPS), Jul 25, 1993".
  27. ↑ "C.A.B. Jubilee Tournament (Hero Cup), 1st SF: India v South Africa at Kolkata, Nov 24, 1993".
  28. ↑ "Singer World Series, Final: Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (SSC), Sep 17, 1994".
  29. ↑ "Wills World Series, 1st Match: India v West Indies at Chennai, Oct 23, 1994".
  30. ↑ "Pepsi Asia Cup, Final: India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Apr 14, 1995".
  31. ↑ "Titan Cup, 9th Match: India v Australia at Mohali, Nov 3, 1996".
  32. ↑ "Silver Jubilee Independence Cup, 2nd Match: India v Pakistan at Dhaka, Jan 11, 1998".
  33. ↑ "Pepsi Triangular Series, 5th Match: India v Zimbabwe at Cuttack, Apr 9, 1998".
  34. ↑ "Coca-Cola Champions Trophy, 1st Match: India v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, Nov 6, 1998".
  35. ↑ "Coca-Cola Cup, 2nd Match: India v Pakistan at Sharjah, Mar 23, 2000".
Preceded by
Krishnamachari Srikkanth		 Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1989/90 – 1996 		Succeeded by
Sachin Tendulkar
Preceded by
Sachin Tendulkar		 Indian National Test Cricket Captain
1997/98 – 1998/99 		Succeeded by
Sachin Tendulkar
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