With swearing-in as Telangana minister, Azharuddin starts a new innings

Hyderabad, Oct 31 (IANS) With his swearing-in as a Cabinet minister in Telangana on Friday, former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin began a new innings in his political career.

The 62-year-old has come a long way since making a sensational and record-breaking debut with three-back-to-back centuries against England in 1984-85. He remained the first and only player to score centuries in each of his first three tests.

Born in Hyderabad on February 8, 1963, Azharuddin took to cricket during his school days at All Saints. In his own words, it was his uncle Mir Zainulabideen who made him hold the cricket bat for the first time.

“I owe it to him for introducing me to this passion of mine which shaped me and my entire life,” Azharuddin had once said.

Popular as ‘Ajju Bhai’ on the cricketing field, he graduated from Nizam College with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

His career reached its peak when he was named captain of the Indian team in 1989 and he went on to create a niche as one the most successful captains.

However, Azharuddin’s cricketing career came to an abrupt end in 2000 after he was banned for life from playing the game for his alleged involvement in match fixing.

After a protracted legal battle, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the lifelong ban in 2012. However, the order came too late for Azhar to resume his career as he was already 49.

The wristy batsman played 99 tests and scored 6,215 runs including 22 centuries. He also played 334 one-day matches and scored 9,378 runs.

He entered politics in 2009 by joining the Congress party and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh the same year. However, he lost the polls from Rajasthan's Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency in 2014.

In 2018, he was appointed as working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC). He also campaigned for the party in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Azhar tried to begin a new innings in 2019 by entering cricket administration when he was elected president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA). However, his tenure was marred by infighting and allegations of corruption.

The Supreme Court intervened in 2023 by naming a single-member committee to manage HCA and facilitate the conduct of fresh elections. The committee removed the former cricketer from the list of voters and barred him from contesting HCA polls.

On a complaint by a HCA official, four criminal cases were registered against Azhar and others for alleged misappropriation of funds. The former cricketer, however, termed the allegations false and motivated.

In 2023, Azhar entered the electoral fray from Jubilee Hills Assembly seat. However, his maiden poll battle on his home turf was unsuccessful. He lost to Maganti Gopinath of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) by over 16,000 votes.

Though, Azhar was keen to contest the bye-election caused by Gopinath’s death, the Congress leadership decided to nominate him as Member of Telangana Legislative Council and make him a minister.

He is the first Muslim face in the Cabinet led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his inclusion came just days before the bypoll in Jubilee Hills.

On the personal front too, Azhar ran into controversies with divorce from his first wife Naureen in 1996 to marry model-turned-actress Sangeeta Bijlani. The couple is believed to have separated in 2010.

Azhar had two sons from his first wife. His younger son Ayazuddin died in a bike accident in 2011 while elder son Asaduddin, a domestic cricketer, was recently named Telangana Congress general secretary.

Asaduddin is married to Anam Mirza, younger sister of former tennis star Sania Mirza.

--IANS

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