Sporting a red jacket and swanky sunglass, he looked thinner and fitter, as if ready to blaze away in a Ferrari. The pace with which he used to score was no less thrilling.
The grace and fluidity of his wrists once made John Woodcock, one of cricket's finest writers, say, "It's no use asking an Englishman bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. For, it would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby!"
But, Azhar's off-field disposition belied his on-field dynamism. He made press conferences extremely frustrating. The world's most elegant right-hander and India's second most successful captain was such a clumsy talker.
Runs flowed for him, but words never. And today was no Friday 13, and yet, something unusual happened.
Azhar, in the national capital as an expert commentator for India TV on the current series, was sharp in his criticism of the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
"They have once cleared Shoaib Akhtar's action. And now Gavaskar is saying that no bowler is cleared forever. This, to me, is really confusing," Azhar said.
"It's not fair on the bowler as well as it is he who suffers. Now, take Murali. He has taken more than 500 Test wickets, and yet, they keep on talking about his action. That's why the ICC panel should be clear in their stand. I mean when a bowler is called for the first time, you either clear him or ban him on the basis of the result. It's no point questioning him again and again after clearing him once."
Azhar was also adverse to Greg Chappell whom he had grown up idolising.
"It was not right to touch controversial issues like bowling actions. He should not have told the media," came the straight reply when one reminded him that the Indian coach too was suspecting the Pakistani bowler's action, especially, when he bowled the bouncer.
Would Inzamam's comment (India's appeal against him for obstructing the field was against the spirit of the game) raise tensions between the two teams?
"Inzy was immature. You expect a captain to behave in a much more mature way," Azhar felt.
"Our team was well within the right to appeal. And I don't think it would create an uneasy atmosphere between the two sides. Little bit of verbal bouncers would always be on in India-Pakistan matches. Else, the romance would die."
"It's not fair on the bowler as well as it is he who suffers. Now, take Murali. He has taken more than 500 Test wickets, and yet, they keep on talking about his action. That's why the ICC panel should be clear in their stand. I mean when a bowler is called for the first time, you either clear him or ban him on the basis of the result. It's no point questioning him again and again after clearing him once."
Azhar was also adverse to Greg Chappell whom he had grown up idolising.
"It was not right to touch controversial issues like bowling actions. He should not have told the media," came the straight reply when one reminded him that the Indian coach too was suspecting the Pakistani bowler's action, especially, when he bowled the bouncer.
Would Inzamam's comment (India's appeal against him for obstructing the field was against the spirit of the game) raise tensions between the two teams?
"Inzy was immature. You expect a captain to behave in a much more mature way," Azhar felt.
"Our team was well within the right to appeal. And I don't think it would create an uneasy atmosphere between the two sides. Little bit of verbal bouncers would always be on in India-Pakistan matches. Else, the romance would die."
Sachin Tendulkar, to Azhar, is still not the finished article. "The overreaction of the media is sad. Forget that he is a great batsman. What is more important that he has been such a great servant for the country? His commitment, dedication and the will to do well for the team, everything is incredible about him and not just the runs and the hundreds he has scored.
"He has just come back from that elbow injury. Still, see how he scored that hundred in Peshawar. That was not a very good one. But look at the commitment, look at the way he guided Pathan and Dhoni at a time when he was struggling to get his timing. Not that he can't match Pathan and Dhoni now. But he played according to the situation and for the team."
About India's chances in the one-day series against Pakistan, Azhar thinks the bowlers have to perform well.
"It seems they need favourable conditions. They get to learn quickly on how to bowl on flat wickets. The batsmen are doing well. The onus is on the bowlers," said the former skipper, who won 14 Tests for India riding on Anil Kumble.
"He should have been in the team. He still has a lot to offer in ODIs." Apt comment by someone who was stranded on 99 Tests!