Career Mohammad Azharuddin Azhar was an elegant batsman and
captain of the Indian team for most
of the 1990s. Statistically he is one of India''s most successful captains. He won a record 103 ODI matches as the
captain of the Indian team. His 14 Test Match wins as captain, was a record until it was bettered by Sourav Ganguly. In his prime, he had a graceful, fluid batting style, comparable to that of his English contemporary, David Gower. The wrist flick was his most characteristic shot and he fared best against spinners. The grace and fluidity of his wrist once prompted John Woodcock, a noted
cricket writer, to say, "It''s no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. For, it would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby!"
He was once again inducted into the Indian Cricket Team in Second Test against Pakistan in the place of injured Raman Lamba. After getting out for duck in First Innings, He made a match-saving maiden century in the Second Innings. Subsequently he was selected as Captain of Indian Team.
He holds the record of 3 consecutive centuries in his debut matches. He was given LBW out for 199 in a test match against Sri Lanka and it was his highest Test Score.
He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991, and was for many years an inspirational figure in the Indian team with his athletic fielding and leadership. However, towards the end of his career Azharuddin was accused of match-fixing <3>; South African captain Hansie Cronje in his confession for match-fixing had indicated that Azharuddin was the one to introduce him to the bookies. . This led the BCCI to ban him from the game of cricket for life in 2000.
The BCCI lifted the ban on Azharuddin in 2006 and even honoured him along with other Indian Test captains in a ceremony in Mumbai during the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. The ICC, however, claimed that it alone had the right to revoke the ban despite playing no role in handing out the original ban.
In one of his interviews, he claimed that he was being targeted because he was from a minority community. However, this statement backfired badly and invited severe criticism from all parts of the country and even from prominent minority community organisations in India. Ultimately, Azharuddin had to apologise publicly and retract his statements.
He divorced his wife, and married Sangeeta Bijlani, a Bollywood actress.
Six feet tall Azhar currently runs a gym named Est in his hometown, Hyderabad and doing Real Estate & Software business in Dubai, Mumbai,Hyderabad,Bangalore,Goa,Delhi & Chennai.