HYDERABAD: As the news of the death of Ayazuddin, son of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, spread, a sombre mood gripped the St Mary’s College in Yousufguda. Ayazuddin’s friends were devastated. They had been visiting the hospital ever since he was admitted. Tariq Patel , who knew both Ayazuddin and his cousin Ajmal, opined, “he had a Suzuki GXS-R1000 bike and if a 19-year-old has been given such an awesome bike, he is not going to be a saint and drive safely. I am not blaming the parents nor Ayaz. He was a trained rider and was always conscious of his safety. May be something seriously went wrong that morning.” The students and teachers held a condolence meeting and suspended classes for the day. As they dispersed, they shared their views on the 19-year-old. Ayazuddin was a second-year BCom student while his cousin Ajmal, who had died on the day of the bike accident, was in junior intermediate. On Ayaz’s nature, Tariq recalled, “Ayaz was a very quiet, composed and reserved guy. He was not outspoken but was very helpful. One week before his accident, he had called me and told me about the ride. I could not go. I warned him to be careful.” Referring to his friendship with Ajmal, he said, “We did hang out very regularly. The whole of Ramzan month, he was with me. We went out to eat at some place every night.”Commenting on Ayaz’s abilities as a sportsman, physical education director of St Mary’s P J Danikal said, “He was an all-rounder, but more than that he was a batsman. He was very punctual with his practice and was very dedicated to the game. He had a few friends but he never spoke much. One thing I really liked about him was that he was very obedient and properly followed whatever I said.” He also added, “One day, he told me, he had a dream to be like his father.”Agreeing with the coach, one of his team mates, Rakesh Goud said, “He used to bat like his father. Their mannerisms are so similar. I was so sure he would play for the country some day. But this is so shocking.” Recollecting the times spent with Ayaz, Rakesh said, “I remember him telling me after every match that he had to perform well this time. There were chances of him getting selected for the Deccan Chargers in next IPL.” Dean of the college Ajit Kumar observed, “Ajmal died a few days ago, and now this again. Even Ajmal was a nice kid and was good at academics and other college activities. Ayaz came to the college on his bike very rarely, may be once in a month. A lot of his friends were mostly bike lovers.” Principal of the college Rama Rao echoed the same views, saying, “I am feeling very bad for the family.”
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