Mohammad Azharuddin made his test debut for India against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He made an instant impact, scoring centuries in each of his first three Tests. In the first Test, Azharuddin finally got a chance to showcase his batting skills on the third day of the game. Azharuddin brought up his century and forged a vital partnership with Ravi Shastri. Azhar’s majestic batting delighted fans at the Eden Gardens.
Norman Cowans was the man who broke the stand having dismissed Mohammed Azharuddin for 110 off 322 deliveries. Azhar’s knock included 10 boundaries and he announced his arrival in style. The India debutant was eventually caught Dawid Gower
Mr. Azharuddin began his serious cricketing journey in school and local leagues in Hyderabad and played for his university team. He made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy in the 1981-82 season, at the age of 18. He did well in the domestic circuits in the 1982-83 and 1983-84 seasons, which brought him into Indian side.
Mohammad Azharuddin had a terrific start to the Test arena. The batter from Hyderabad scored a brilliant 110 against England in his debut Test in Kolkata. In his second test, he smashed a score of 105. His hunger for big runs continued as Azharuddin completed his third consecutive Test century in the whites on February 1, 1985. In that inning, he amassed 122 runs. Azharuddin scored three centuries in his first three Test making him the only person in test cricket history to have done so.
Except for Azharuddin, no other batsman in the history of Test cricket has achieved three centuries on debut (three consecutive centuries in his first three Tests). Mohammad Azharuddin represented India in 99 Test matches, scoring 6,215 runs at an average of 45.03.
In 334 One-day internationals he scored 9,378 runs at an average of 36.92. He is also part of an elite list of Indian batters with the most centuries across formats, as he scored 22 Test and 7 ODI centuries in his career. His flick of the wrist is such a delight to the eyes and was considered as one of the most stylish Indian batter of those times.
