Azharuddeen’s 11 sixes and nine fours during his quickfire century helped Kerala beat Mumbai by eight wickets in the 16th over while chasing 196
Kerala batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen (left) with former India captain Azharuddin
Kerala's Mohammed Azharuddeen, 26, made IPL talent spotters take notice of him on Wednesday evening when he hammered Mumbai bowlers during his 37-ball century in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy at the Wankhede Stadium. However, Kerala coach and former India pacer Tinu Yohannan was not expecting such a heroic innings from Azharuddeen, in which he remained unbeaten while smashing his 54-ball 137. Azharuddeen’s 11 sixes and nine fours helped Kerala beat Mumbai by eight wickets in the 16th over while chasing 196.
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Azharuddeen
‘Impactful innings’
“He made such a big impression with his knock. We are expecting something more from him throughout this season, because he always had the talent and the potential to score quick runs. But we did not expect such an innings,” Yohannan told mid-day on Thursday. Azharuddeen, who scored 959 runs in 22 first-class games, has a lone century and five 50s under his belt. And in the T20 format, the right-hander registered his maiden ton in his 21th game.
Usually, he bats in the lower middle-order. However, the team management decided to open with him in the ongoing tournament and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. “Being a wicketkeeper-batsman he has a lot of potential and having such a player in the team is always an asset, especially who can contribute with the bat in Tests. See how Rishabh Pant batted in the last Sydney Test match and Sanju [Samson] has been in and around with the same calibre,” remarked Yohannan.
Azharuddeen, who started playing cricket at the age of nine, is the youngest among eight brothers. Kamaruddin, 48, the eldest brother, who represented Kerala’s Kasaragod district as a top-order batsman, played a big role in naming his brother after India’s legendary batsman, Mohammed Azharuddin. “I am a big fan of Azharuddin. I used to watch all his innings on TV and even enjoyed his few knocks in stadiums too. But, our parents decided to name my youngest brother Ajmal. However, as Azharuddin is my idol, I forced them to name my brother after the former India captain,” Kamaruddin revealed from Kasaragod on Thursday.
Wristy like Azhar
When asked if there is any cricketing similarity between the junior Azharuddeen and the original, Yohannan, said: “There are some similarities between them. He is a bit of a wristy player. He likes playing on-side shots. His style of batting is quite similar to senior Azharuddin. Even when he is not keeping wickets and fielding, he is a livewire and very quick. But he has a long way to go before he replicates the real Mohammed Azharuddin.”
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