By News18
The story of former cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin is one of dazzling highs and devastating lows, both on and off the field. Once among the most elegant batsmen and successful captains, Azhar鈥檚 life off the pitch has been no less dramatic. From cricket glory and match-fixing controversy to high-profile marriages and personal tragedies, Azharuddin鈥檚 journey reads like a Bollywood script, and in one chapter, even stars one of its actresses.
Azhar married twice. His first wife, Naureen, gave birth to two sons 鈥 Mohammad Asaduddin and the younger, Mohammad Ayazuddin. After separating from Naureen, Azhar tied the knot with Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani, though that marriage, too, ended in divorce.
A tragic twist came in 2011 when Azhar鈥檚 younger son Ayazuddin died following a road accident in Hyderabad. The 19-year-old had been riding a sports bike that skidded near the city鈥檚 Outer Ring Road. While Azhar鈥檚 nephew, who was also on the bike, died on the spot; Ayaz was critically injured and succumbed to his injuries after five days in the hospital.
Azharuddin鈥檚 elder son, Mohammad Asaduddin, has led a different path, but still intertwined with fame, ambition, and public life. In December 2019, Asad married Anam Mirza, the younger sister of tennis icon Sania Mirza, making for a high-profile union that brought together two of Hyderabad鈥檚 most prominent sporting families.
This was Anam鈥檚 second marriage. She had previously wed businessman Akbar Rashid in 2016, before parting ways in 2018. Post-divorce, Anam reinvented herself as a successful entrepreneur. She now runs fashion ventures like The Label Bazaar and Dua India, becoming a recognisable face in the fashion circuit.
Asad, too, once pursued cricket, hoping to follow in his father鈥檚 footsteps. A left-handed batsman, he represented domestic teams like Hyderabad Colts XI and Goa. But unlike his father, who played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs before a match-fixing scandal ended his international career, Asad鈥檚 time on the pitch was short-lived; he played just two first-class matches in 11 days.
Today, both father and son are attempting innings in politics. While Azharuddin served as a Congress MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and later contested unsuccessfully from Jubilee Hills in the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, Asaduddin has recently entered the political fray. A trained lawyer, he was appointed General Secretary of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC). Azhar called the moment an emotional one, publicly celebrating his son鈥檚 political rise.