Mohammad Azharuddin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mohammad Azharuddin
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 16 May 2009 (2009-05-16) – 16 May 2014 (2014-05-16)
Preceded by	Shafiqur Rahman Barq
Succeeded by	Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar Singh
Constituency	Moradabad
27th President of Hyderabad Cricket Association
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 September 2019
Preceded by	Gaddam Vivek Venkatswamy
Working President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office 2 June 2014
Personal details
Born	(1963-02-08) 8 February 1963 (age 62) Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Height	179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Spouses	Naureen ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1996)​ Sangeeta Bijlani ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2010)​ Shannon Marie ​ (m. 2017)​
Nicknames	Azhar, Azzu
Cricket information Batting Right-handed Bowling Right-arm medium Role Middle-order batter International information National side India (1984–2000) 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 Years Team 1981–2000 Hyderabad 1983–2001 South Zone 1991–1994 Derbyshire Career statistics Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 99 334 229 433 Runs scored 6,215 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 1,432 827 Wickets 0 12 17 15 Bowling average – 98.44 46.23 47.26 5 wickets in innings – 0 0 0 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 3/19 3/36 3/19 Catches/stumpings 105/– 156/– 220/– 200/– Medal record Men's Cricket Representing  India ACC Asia Cup Winner 1988 Bangladesh Winner 1990-91 India Winner 1995 United Arab Emirates Runner-up 1997 Sri Lanka Source: ESPNcricinfo, 13 February 2009

Mohammad Azharuddin (born 8 February 1963) is a famous Indian politician and a former cricketer. He was once the captain of the Indian national cricket team. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman. He also bowled medium-fast sometimes.

Azharuddin played 99 Test matches and 334 One Day Internationals for India. As captain, he led India to win the 1990-91 Asia Cup and 1995 Asia Cup. He also led the team to the semi-finals of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Many people thought he was one of the best ODI batsmen of his time. He captained India in three Cricket World Cups, more than any other Indian captain in the 1990s. He was also part of the team that won the 1985 World Championship of Cricket.

His cricket career ended suddenly in 2000. He was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India due to claims about a match-related issue. However, in 2012, a court in Andhra Pradesh lifted the ban. In September 2019, he became the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

In 2009, Azharuddin joined the Indian National Congress political party. He was elected as a member of parliament for Moradabad. In 2018, he was made the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee.

About Mohammad Azharuddin's Life

Azharuddin was born on 8 February 1963 in Hyderabad. His parents were Mohammad Azizuddin and Yousuf Sultana. He went to All Saints High School. Later, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Nizam College, Osmania University.

Azharuddin married Naureen in 1987. They had two sons, Mohammad Asaduddin and Mohammad Ayazuddin. In 1996, he and Naureen divorced. He then married actress Sangeeta Bijlani. They divorced in 2010. Sadly, his younger son Ayazuddin passed away in a bike accident in 2011. His older son, Asaduddin, is also a cricketer. In 2019, Asaduddin married Anam Mirza, who is the sister of tennis star Sania Mirza.

Mohammad Azharuddin's Cricket Journey

Starting His Cricket Career

Azharuddin played his first Test cricket match for the Indian cricket team against England. This happened at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 31 December 1984. He scored 110 runs in his very first turn at bat. He then scored two more centuries in his next two Test matches in the same series.

He made his ODI debut against England on 20 January 1985. This match was at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. He scored 47 runs and was not out.

Leading the Indian Team

In 1989, Azharuddin became the captain of the Indian team. He took over from Krishnamachari Srikkanth. He led India in 47 Test matches and 174 One Day Internationals. Under his leadership, India won 14 Tests and 90 ODIs. These were records for Indian captains at the time. Later, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni broke these records.

During India's tour of England in 1990, Azharuddin scored 121 runs in the first Test at Lord's. Even though India lost that match, a famous cricket writer, Vic Marks, called it "the most dazzling Test century" he had ever seen. In the second Test in Manchester, Azharuddin scored 179 runs. He also shared a 112-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar. He ended that series with 426 runs, averaging 85.20. This was the highest score by an Indian captain in a Test series in England until Virat Kohli broke it in 2018.

Asia Cup Wins and World Cups

Azharuddin led India to win the 1990–91 Asia Cup. They beat Sri Lanka in the final. He scored 54 runs in the final and was named the Man of the Match.

He also captained India in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. India did not do well, finishing seventh in the group stage. However, India won the 1995 Asia Cup again, beating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets. Azharuddin was captain and won the Man of the Match award.

He led the team again in the 1996 Cricket World Cup in India. India reached the quarter-finals and beat Pakistan. They then made it to the semi-finals. India lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-finals. The match was stopped because of crowd issues.

Later Years in Cricket

In a Test match against South Africa in 1996–97, Azharuddin scored a century in just 74 balls. This matched Kapil Dev's record for the fastest Test century by an Indian player. He scored another century in the next Test, making 163 runs without being out. This helped India win by their biggest margin in Test history at that time. He was named Man of the Match and Player of the Series.

Azharuddin scored seven centuries in ODIs. His highest score was 153 against Zimbabwe in 1998. He scored his last Test century against South Africa in March 2000. This was also his last Test match. He played his final international match, an ODI, against Pakistan in June 2000.

After Cricket: Match-Related Issues

After a series in South Africa in 2000, Azharuddin was accused of being involved in a match-related issue. The International Cricket Council and BCCI banned him from cricket for life. However, in 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted this lifetime ban. In 2019, Azharuddin was elected as the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.

Azharuddin's Playing Style

Azharuddin was a right-handed middle-order batsman. He also bowled medium-fast sometimes. He was famous for his elegant and smooth batting style. A cricket writer named John Woodcock once said that it was impossible to expect an English player to bat like Azharuddin. Former cricketer and umpire Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan said that Azharuddin had the "best wrists in the game." Cricketers Mike Atherton and Angus Fraser believed Azharuddin's batting skill was second only to Brian Lara among batsmen of their time.

Cricket Statistics

Azharuddin mostly batted in the middle order. He played 99 Test matches for India. He scored 6,215 runs with an average of 45.03. This included 22 centuries and 21 half-centuries.

In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he scored 9,378 runs from 334 matches. His average was 36.92. He also took 156 catches as a fielder.

Azharuddin scored 110 runs in his first Test match against England in Kolkata in 1984. He scored 102 runs in his last Test match against South Africa in Bangalore in 2000. This made him the first Indian and fifth batsman ever to score a century in both his first and last Test matches.

Political Career

Azharuddin joined the Indian National Congress party on 19 February 2009. He won the 2009 Indian general election from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. This made him a member of parliament.

He ran in the 2014 Indian general election from Tonk–Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. However, he lost to Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria. In 2018, he was appointed as the working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. He also ran in the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election from Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency but did not win.

Awards and Recognition

Azharuddin received the Arjuna Award in 1986. This award recognizes outstanding achievements in sports. In 1988, he was given the Padma Shri, which is India's fourth-highest civilian award. He was also named one of Wisden's cricketers of the year in 1991.

On 21 September 2023, Jamia Hamdard, a university in New Delhi, gave him an honorary doctorate degree.