Mohammad Azharuddin (born 8 February 1963, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) created history in 1984 by notching up three centuries in his first three Test matches. Always referred to as Azhar, he captained the Indian side in both forms of the game for most of the 1990s. And so it is no surprise that he captained India to most number of victories i.e. Tests and one-day matches combined. India won 103 one-day matches under Azhar`s captaincy, a record which is intact till today. Sourav Ganguly however recently bettered his Test win record of 14 wins. The major criticism leveled against Azhar was that he never mingled too much with the other players in the side and hence was not able to motivate the team enough to bring out their best. As a batsman, Azhar was elegantly personified and many described his as one of the most beautiful player to watch when in form. So much so that he was even compared to David Gower. His wrist work and on side flicks were unique and he seemed all at ease against spinners.

Azhar was named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991 and though the pressure of captaincy began taking its toll on his batting, which deteriorated steadily towards the mid and late 90s, he performed well enough to maintain his place in the squad. Whenever not contributing with the bat, he more often than not chipped in with a brilliant catch at slip or a run out and despite being the oldest member in the side, was the most agile one. The end for Azhar, however, came in a rather ignominious way when Hansie Cronje confessed that it was the then Indian captain Azhar who introduced him to bookies and the shadowy world of match fixing. An inquiry was conducted following which he was banned from all forms of cricket. Azhar ended up playing one short of 100 Tests. His record of 3 centuries in his first three Test matches still stands but for all the glory he brought to Indian cricket, he will sadly be remembered for the bad name he brought to the country and the great game.