Love him, hate him, judge him – that is the tagline for the latest biopic on former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin.
Azharuddin’s life has been nothing short of a saga. From entering the scenes as a stylish right-handed batsman to hitting centuries in his first three Tests, ascending to national captaincy in no time and then falling from grace with match-fixing accusations against his name, India’s cricketing icon of the early ’90s has seen it all.
As interest around his life and career is revived with the launch of Azhar, here are some things to know about the nation’s fallen hero.
IT TAKES THREE TO TANGO
Azhar burst on to the international scene with three hundreds in his first three Tests for India – a record that is yet to be surpassed in world cricket. In 1984/85, he scored his maiden Test ton (110) on debut versus England in Kolkata and followed that up with hundreds in Chennai (105) and Kanpur (122).
FIRST (BUT NOT THE LAST) HYDERABADI TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE EDEN
Long before VVS Laxman began his love affair with Eden Gardens, Azhar was the original Hyderabadi lover of the iconic stadium.
In ODIs, Azharuddin ranks second in the list of most runs at the ground, with 332 runs from 8 innings. In Tests, he ranks fourth with 860 runs from 9 innings, scoring an average of 107.50 and five centuries.
Batsmen ranked above him include Laxman (1217 runs from 15 inn), Rahul Dravid (962 runs from 16 inn) and Sachin Tendulkar (872 runs from 21 inn). Laxman is the only other batsman to have scored five Test centuries at Eden Gardens.
CAPTAINCY ASCENT AND WORLD CUP SKIPPER
Azharuddin was the youngest captain at the ’92 World Cup
In a very well documented episode, then BCCI president, the late Raj Singh Dungarpur once famously asked Azhar, “Miyaan, kaptaan banoge? (Brother, do want to become the captain?)”. He replied in the affirmative and the rest, as they say, is history.
Azharuddin is the only Indian skipper to have captained India at three World Cups (1992, 1996 and 1999).
A THING OR TWO WITH ’99’
Despite all his heroics on the field, if there’s one landmark that eludes Azharuddin, it is a double century. In 1986, he came desperately close to scoring one when he got out for 199 against Sri Lanka at Kanpur in only his second season as an India international. It was a hurdle he never got over, ending his career with 199 as his highest Test score.
Another landmark missing from his CV is a 100th Test – an occasion that he narrowly missed as a result of match-fixing allegations that came up against him post the completion of his 99th Test, which later became his last.
Azhar ended his career on a high note, but unknowingly so. He scored his 22nd Test ton, an 102 versus South Africa in Bangalore in what was going to be his last innings, in the process joining an elite company of cricketers who scored centuries in their first and final Tests.
THE GANGULY SAGA
Azharuddin with Sourav Ganguly in 1997
When Sourav Ganguly first got a call-up to the Azhar-led Indian side as an 18-year-old during India’s 1991/92 tour Down Under, few expected much out of him. The southpaw was benched for the most part of the three month tour, bar a few practice games and a forgettable last-minute ODI debut against West Indies at Brisbane.
Four year later in 1996, when Ganguly knocked on the selectors’ doors with some strong performances in domestic cricket, Azhar and coach Sandip Patil were highly reluctant to take Ganguly to England. After heated arguments with selectors, the duo gave in to their demands and picked Ganguly ahead of Bangalore’s Sunil Joshi.
The Bengal cricketer wasn’t expected to make his debut in the second Test at Lord’s, but prior to the match an altercation between Azhar and Navjot Sidhu (which still remains a closely guarded secret) led to Sidhu walking out of the tour, thereby opening up a place for Ganguly in the XI. Ganguly went on to score a century at the Home of Cricket before following it up with another at Nottingham and never looking back.
Once the tour was over, Azhar gifted one of his favourite watches to Ganguly as a token of appreciation for the latter’s performances.
FLAMBOYANT OFF THE FIELD AS WELL
Azharuddin’s flamboyance was an integral part of his life, both on and off the field. His style of dressing with an upturned shirt collar gained mass popularity in the country, and his love for wrist watches was well known.
The media went into overdrive when news of his extra-marital affair with Indian actress, Sangeeta Bijlani first broke in the mid-90s. The cricketer split with his first wife Naureen, and married Bijlani before the couple separated in 2010.
MATCH-FIXING ALLEGATIONS AND SUBSEQUENT BAN
The 1999 World Cup was Azharuddin’s third as India captain
In 2000, Azharuddin was banned for life for his role in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket. However, in 2006, the BCCI revoked the ban and in 2012, the state High Court declared that the ban originally imposed on him was untenable – thereby vindicating Azhar’s stand that he was innocent.
CRICKETER SONS
Azhar’s elder son, Mohammad Asaduddin is currently on the fringes of the first-class squad of Uttar Pradesh. His younger son, Mohammad Ayazuddin was also a promising cricketer but lost his life in a road accident in 2011.
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Azharuddin served as a Member of Parliament representing the Indian National Congress from the Moradabad constituency between 2009 and 2014.
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