Congress leader and former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin (File Photo)
Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister in the Telangana government, with Governor Jishnu Dev Varma officiating the ceremony, on Friday, October 31, at Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and several cabinet ministers attended the ceremony.
Azharuddin has been nominated as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the Governor’s quota, paving the way for his induction into the state cabinet.
His appointment follows the Telangana government’s formal proposal to expand the Council of Ministers, with Azharuddin set to become the only Muslim representative in the current cabinet.
The move comes ahead of the Jubilee Hills by-election, which features a significant minority voter base.
This induction will bring the total strength of the state cabinet to 16.
Born on February 8, 1963, in Hyderabad, Azharuddin completed his schooling at All Saints High School in Abids and graduated with a B.Com from Nizam College. Inspired by his maternal uncle Zainulabuddin, he took up cricket and made his international debut in 1984.
He created a sensation by scoring centuries in each of his first three Test matches and later captained the Indian team in 1989.
Over a 16-year cricketing career, Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 One Day Internationals for India, becoming one of the most stylish batsmen of his time.
Azharuddin was implicated in the 2000 match-fixing scandal after investigations revealed his involvement with bookmakers and acceptance of money to fix matches.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a life ban on him, which was later revoked by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2012 on procedural grounds, without clearing him of wrongdoing.
After retiring from cricket, he entered politics and joined the Congress party on February 19, 2009. In the same year, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Moradabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
In 2018, the Congress appointed him as the Working President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC).
This post was last modified on October 31, 2025 12:59 pm