Azharuddin: Indian cricket’s flawed genius

It would seem the phrase ‘flawed genius’ was created for someone like Mohammad Azharuddin. The cricketing world loves to hate this artist who enthralled fans with his stylish stroke-play during a 16-year-long long career. Long before the sordid match-fixing saga of 2000, Azhar had had a glorious start to a fairly successful career, hitting hundreds in his first three Test matches in 1984. There was no looking back and former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur offered the young Hyderabadi Team India’s captaincy in 1989. Suddenly, the thin, gawky, and seemingly naive Azhar was commandeering the big names of cricket. He had already showed that he was not just a flat-track bully during the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. His silken touch was a delight to watch and his technique Down Under on bouncy pitches won him many admirers in world cricket.

But it all ended disgracefully for Azhar in 2000 when he was banned for life after being accused of match-fixing along with some other top cricketers of his era. Cricket lay shattered. It was towards the latter part of the 1990s that Azhar started batting strangely and was seen with suspicious characters who were allegedly betting big on his innings. Whether it was Sharjah or Mumbai, Azhar’s name was mentioned in a different tone. He made a return to public life in 2009 when the Congress party offered a ticket to contest the general election. Despite being an indifferent public speaker, Moradabad voters backed the celebrity in their midst. But the same voters were so disgusted after his five-year inning that “they wanted him to contest one more time to teach him a lesson”. Subsequently, Azhar experimented once again and collaborated in a film on his life. It was a failed attempt to portray him in a positive light.

Until recently, the BCCI never allowed Azhar inside any cricket stadium. When all former players were bestowed pension, he was excluded. Though Azhar’s life ban was lifted by the Andhra Pradesh high court in 2012, there was an understanding within the BCCI to keep him out of cricket. Then came a surprising shift under Anurag Thakur’s presidentship in September 2016 when Azhar was invited for India’s 500th Test in Kanpur, along with former Indian skippers of repute. It did not go unnoticed that hardly any other former captain mingled with him. In fact, Sachin Tendulkar didn’t even shake hands with his former skipper.

Now comes the news of Azhar contesting the president’s post at the Hyderabad Cricket Association when the Supreme Court is trying hard to clean up the game. He is technically eligible to contest. But the issue is of public propriety. How could someone who has reportedly confessed his involvement in match-fixing to the CBI be allowed to occupy a top post? His two-hour long video-taped confession is with the CBI. The late South African captain, Hansie Cronje, had the courage to plead guilty to match-fixing. He confessed that Azhar introduced those bookies to him. While Cronje died mysteriously in an air-crash, Azhar continued to vehemently deny the accusations. He has even claimed victimisation for belonging to a ‘minority community’.

Former Mumbai top cop Rakesh Maria was caught saying in a sting operation that “Azhar was the ‘kingpin’ of match-fixing, with ‘a criminal bent of mind”. In addition, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, conducting routine surveillance in November 1997, allegedly stumbled upon a conversation between Azhar and Anees Ibrahim on the latter’s personal mobile phone. The conversation revolved around the fixing of a Titan Cup match between India and South Africa. Azhar later broke down under this extensive evidence and allegedly confessed to the CBI of fixing three specific matches: India vs South Africa at Rajkot at the 1996 Titan Cup, India vs Sri Lanka at Colombo at the 1997 Asia Cup, and India vs Pakistan at Jaipur in 1999. The investigators were convinced that these three matches were merely the tip of the iceberg but there was no law in India to prosecute the erring players. Azhar was let off by the CBI, but should he be allowed to shepherd the game he once destroyed? He must be told to stay away from the gentleman’s game.