By BV Swagath
Former India Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has found relief after 11 years as the Andhra Pradesh High Court declared that the life ban imposed by the BCCI on him was illegal. Azharuddin, one of the best batsmen and also one of the successful Captains produced in Indian Cricket was found guilty of indulging in match-fixing activities.
During the early 2000s, the late Hansie Cronje opened a can of worms in South Africa after confessing to have fixed international matches. The after effects of that shook the entire cricketing world
and in India, Mohammad Azharduddin became a causality following Cronje’s revelation and with the BCCI life ban, his Test Career was cut short to 99 Tests! The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which helped the BCCI in cracking the Indian case had Azharudding himself admitting of fixing three ODIs.
Azharuddin, now 49, is an elected Member of Parliament from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. Azhar hails originally from Hyderabad and is a Congress Politician currently.