Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azizuddin Azharuddin (born 8 February 1963), often known simply as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. A right-handed middle-order batter and occasional medium-fast bowler, he served as the Indian national cricket team's captain with 99 Test matches and 334 One Day Internationals to his name. Azharuddin led India to wins in the 1990–91 and 1995 Asia Cups and reached the semi-finals of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He was considered as one of the best ODI batsmen in the world and one of the greatest of his era. He captained India in three Cricket World Cups, the most by any Indian captain, all during the 1990s. He was also a part of the Indian squad which won the 1985 World Championship of Cricket. His cricketing career came to an abrupt end in 2000 after he was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for life due to his involvement in a match fixing scandal. In 2012, the Andhra Pradesh High Court lifted the life ban after appeal. After that, the original ban led to distrust among the masses about the country's judicial system. In September 2019, he was elected as the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association. In 2009, Azharuddin joined Indian National Congress and was elected as a member of parliament for Moradabad. He was appointed as the Working President of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee in 2018. Azharuddin took oath as a Minister in Telangana Cabinet on 31 October 2025, allocated Minorities Welfare and Public Enterprises portfolios on 4 November and assumed charge on 10 November in Telangana Secretariat.