HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOHAMMAD AZHARUDDIN: Born on February 8, 1963, in Hyderabad, Mohammed Azharuddin went on to become one of the greatest captains in the history of Indian cricket. The signs of Azharuddin’s cricketing brilliance were visible right from the start of his international cricket as he scored a century on Test debut against a strong English side.
In his international career of over 16 years, Azhar represented India in 99 Tests and 334 ODIs, scoring a total of more than 15,000 international runs. He led India to 90 ODI victories of the total 174 games that he captained the team in. As he celebrates his 59th birthday today, we take a look at his journey and list some of the lesser-known interesting facts about him.
Stellar start to international career
After registering a debut hundred against England in Kolkata, Azharuddin scored two more centuries in the next two Tests. He became only the first player to score a century in each of his first three tests.
Second home- Eden Garden
Azharuddin started his international career at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, and it became his second home. In the total 7 Test matches that he played at the venue; the former Indian skipper scored 860 runs at an average of 107.5. This included five centuries and two 50s. With an exception of one test match, Azhar never failed to score a 50 plus score at the Eden Gardens.
Led India in three World Cups
Azharuddin captained the India team in three World Cups- 1992, 1996 and 1999, the most by an Indian captain.
Love Life
Azharuddin was married to Naureen but his love affair with Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani was one of the most talked-about affairs in the 1990s. Finally, in 1996, Azharuddin parted ways with his first wife and tied the knot with Bijlani and remained together till 2010.
Political Career
After nearly a decade of bidding adieu to an international career, Azharuddin took a plunge in politics. He joined the Indian National Congress and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Moradabad. Azharuddin defeated his closest competitor by over 50,000 votes. He is working president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee.
Biopic
In 2016, actor Emraan Hashmi played Azharuddin onscreen in his official biopic titled Azhar.
Here’s wishing a very Happy Birthday to Mohammed Azharuddin!
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