Senior Congress leader and former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Friday has sworn in as a minister in the Telangana government, at Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad. The oath was administered by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and several cabinet colleagues.
Azharuddin has been nominated as the Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota, clearing the way for his entry into the state cabinet. With his induction, he becomes the only Muslim minister in the current government, taking the total cabinet strength to 16.
Who Is Mohammad Azharuddin?
Born on February 8, 1963, in Hyderabad, Azharuddin studied at All Saints High School and graduated with a B.Com degree from Nizam College. Inspired by his maternal uncle Zainulabuddin, he took up cricket and made his international debut in 1984.
Azharuddin made history by scoring centuries in each of his first three Test matches and went on to captain India in 1989. Over a 16-year international career, he represented India in 99 Tests and 334 One-Day Internationals, earning a reputation as one of the most elegant stroke players of his era.
In 2000, Azharuddin’s career took a dramatic turn when he was implicated in the match-fixing scandal involving bookmakers. The BCCI imposed a life ban, which was later revoked by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2012 on procedural grounds.
Post-retirement, Azharuddin entered politics, joining the Indian National Congress on February 19, 2009. The same year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. In 2018, he was appointed Working President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
