‘Them wristy flicks’: Mohammad Azharuddin brings back memories as he has a knock after ages

Ever since his retirement, Azhar has mostly been away from cricket. Barring a few unofficial matches for India Seniors, Azhar has kept his return to the cricket field limited.

Former batsman Mohammad Azharuddin last played for India 20 years ago. Yes, it’s been that long that one of India’s most successful batsmen and captains last played for the country before a life ban was imposed on him for his involvement in the infamous match fixing scandal from the year 2000.

Azharuddin rolls back the years. (HT Collage/Mohammad Azharuddin Twitter)

Ever since, Azhar has mostly been away from cricket. Barring a few unofficial matches for India Seniors, Azhar has kept his return to the cricket field limited. Hence, what transpired on his Instagram feed on Thursday was almost unimaginable. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad, a relaxed-looking Azhar, casually dressed in a red T shirt and grey shorts, put on his batting gloves and picked up a cricket bat to play some of his trademark shots.

“Knock knock... timing it like old times,” read the caption on his Instagram.

Knocking the ball in front of the Mohammad Azharuddin stand, Azhar offered his fans a treat by giving them a glimpse of those delightful flicks among other shots. A backfoot punch, a couple of cover drives, a cut and to cap off the video, a flick through leg. If you’re a 90s kid, the video will bring back memories of watching Azharuddin in full flow.

Azharuddin remains India’s fourth most-capped cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid. He has led India in 174 ODIs and 47 Tests with India winning 90 and 14 respectively.