In a previous article we talked about the Best Innings of Sunil Gavaskar who is one of the greatest of all time but now we will talk about a batter who was all class and his playing style was very different from that of Sunil Gavaskar. He was of an attacking mindset and he liked playing his shots and scoring quick runs for the team. He was also the captain of the Indian team for a lot of years leading them in many World Cups and he was a proud servant of Indian cricket.
Mohammad Azharuddin played for India for more than a decade and he was one of the best batters in the team when he played. He was also a great fielder and a great leader as well.
Let’s look at the Top 5 Best Innings of Mohammad Azharuddin
199 vs Sri Lanka (1986): Mohammad Azharuddin highest score in test
Mohammad Azharuddin made his highest test score in this test match against Sri Lanka in 1986 and it was an innings of pure class and fortitude and this was an innings which cemented his legacy as one of the very best in the world and this innings came at a crucial time when after Sunil Gavaskar got out after making a brilliant 176 all the other Indian batters got less scores then came out Mohammad Azharuddin who from the start got into it and started hitting the bowlers and with the help of 16 fours and 1 big six he made 199 runs just 1 short of that magical 200 but it was an innings for the ages.
192 vs New Zealand (1990)
This was the highest away score by Mohammad Azharuddin in his test career and it was a truly special innings on a difficult pitch to bat on and it is proved by the fact that no one other than him in the Indian innings got more than 55 runs and he alone scored this many runs and that too at a fast pace in just 259 balls which is very commendable in test cricket. He hit a total of 26 fours in this mammoth innings and he smashed every New Zealand Bowler to all parts of the ground in Auckland. This innings made him a player for all conditions and a true great.
179 vs England (1990)
This was one of the best innings played by an Indian batter in English conditions and especially at The Oval where the pitch is not that conducive for batting and for him to be the only centurion in the innings and the best player in the test match by a mile is an extraordinary feat. He always played fast and got the scoreboard running quickly and in this incredible innings he hit 21 fours and 1 six in just 243 balls he hit these runs which is at a strike rate of over 73.
163* vs South Africa (1996)
This amazing innings by Mohammad Azharuddin came in the second innings of this test match against South Africa when the match was evenly poised and he took the game away from South Africa and gave India the advantage in this test match. He was at his imperious best in this Innings as he yet again played in his trademark style of fast and scoring runs quickly and he hit 25 fours and 1 big six in this innings in which he only faced 229 balls for his 163* and as a result of this incredible innings India won the test match.
153* vs Zimbabwe (1998): Mohammad Azharuddin highest score in ODI
This is his highest ODI score and it came against a very good Zimbabwe team of 1998. He absolutely smashed them all around the ground and he hit 17 fours and 1 six with a strike rate of more than 100 he hit an amazing 153* and helped India win this match and he scored fewer hundreds in ODIs but he was a great captain in the ODI format and he scored quick runs whenever needed by the team.
Mohammad Azharuddin Career Stats
Format | Test | ODI |
Matches | 99 | 334 |
Innings | 147 | 308 |
Runs | 6215 | 9378 |
Highest Score | 199 | 153* |
Avg | 45.0 | 36.9 |
100s | 22 | 7 |
50s | 21 | 58 |
