"I have always been an admirer of Congress which fought for independence and I want to give back something to the nation by joining politics," said Azhar.
Mohd Azharuddin, whose brilliant cricket career was cut short by match-fixing allegations nine years ago, started a new innings on Thursday by joining the Congress amid indications that he may contest the Lok Sabha elections from Hyderabad.
"I have always been an admirer of Congress which fought for independence and I want to give back something to the nation by joining politics," said the former longest serving captain of the Indian team at a press conference in the AICC headquarters where he was formally welcomed into the party after a meeting with Sonia Gandhi.
Azharuddin (47), who was banned by the BCCI from playing cricket in 2000 after a probe into his role in the match- fixing scam, parried a question whether he had joined the party to contest the coming elections from Hyderabad.
"I am not the captain now. I am a player. I can't decide. If the party thinks I am good enough (to contest elections) I will abide by it. As of now, I don't know anything," he said.
Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, who welcomed him into the party, said there was no case against him in any court in India. "Only he has filed a case against the BCCI," he said.
Andhra Pradesh Congress president D Srinivas was also present on the occasion when Azharuddin joined the party.
The BJP criticised Azharuddin's induction into Congress party. "All the fixers in the nation are either joining Congress or Samajwadi Party," party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
Azharuddin thanked Gandhi for admitting him in the party. He also said he was also an admirer of Gandhi and her son Rahul.
He fondly recalled the moment when late Rajiv Gandhi called him to congratulate him when he broke a record in 1985 and he cherished that.
Moily said Azharuddin had expressed his desire to join the party 20 days ago and was conveyed to Gandhi who accepted it happily.
He said the former cricketer has professed his loyalty to the Congress and its president.
Asked about the match-fixing allegations and criticism against him, Azharuddin said, "sometimes you have to keep your eyes and ears closed. There will always be people criticising you."
To a question, he said he had come to compete with anybody in the party but to do some work for it.
Asked whether he has joined the party as a celebrity to counter anti-incumbency faced by the Congress government in Andhra, he said, "there is no anti-incumbency faced by the Congress. The party is strong in the state."
On joining the Congress, he said a lot of people used to call him a child of destiny. "It is my destiny that has played here again. That is why I am in front of you."
A veteran of 99 Test matches, Azhar scored 6,215 runs at an average of 45.03. He also played 334 ODIs and scored 9,378 runs at an avberage of 36.92. Azharuddin was India's most successful captain till Sourav Ganguly bettered his feat.
Along with his wife Sangeeta Bijlani, Azharuddin runs an event management company and has set up a health club in the Banjara Hills area of Hyderabad.
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