The commentator on the telly said, “Ye naujawan kaafi dinon se bhartiye cricket team ke darwaaze pe dastak de raha tha. Aaj aakhirkaar inko mauqa mil hi gaya.” [This young man has been knocking on the Indian team’s door for quite some time. Finally, he has got the opportunity!] It was December 31, 1984. The English side was touring India.
The young man was a tall, lanky, and shy 21 years old working as a clerk at SBI in Hyderabad. The Englishmen had never heard of him. And so did I! The young batsman showed tremendous concentration and skills. The experts were reminded of the wristy Gundappa Viswanath! He went on to score a hundred in his very first match. A remarkable achievement by any standard. More was to follow. Continue reading “Mohd Azharuddin – The Rise And Fall Of An Indian Idol”