5 Indian cricketers who jumped into politics

Mohammad Azharuddin

Azharuddin recently came back into the limelight with the release of a Bollywood biopic on his life, titled ‘Azhar’. One of the most successful captains of the national side, Azharuddin has seen a number of ups and downs in his chequered career. He represented India from 1984-2000.

In 99 Tests, he scored a total of 6215 runs, with 21 hundreds and 22 fifties, including three centuries on the trot in his first three Tests. He scored a total of 9378 ODI runs, a record that time, in 334 ODIs.

After having been embroiled in a match-fixing saga that derailed his playing career, Azharuddin turned to politics to mend his tattered reputation. He took part in the 2009 elections representing Congress, and became a member of the parliament by winning from Moradabad.

In 2012, the Andhra High Court lifted the life ban on Azharuddin.