An exemplary Indian captain, Mohammad Azharuddin has the distinction of playing 99 Tests and 334 ODIs. His Test debut against England in December 1984 could not have been more auspicious. Azharuddin achieved a fabulous hundred in the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Azharuddin kept the momentum going with another ton in his second Test in Chennai.
The third Test continued the saga as Azharuddin got another one in Kanpur. Thus, Azharuddin became the first player in history to record centuries in each of his first three Tests, and it was today (February 1) in 1985 that he achieved this sensational feat.
Making his debut in Test cricket at the Eden Gardens, Mohammad Azharuddin made a name for himself with a century of 110 runs against England. He faced 322 balls and hit 10 boundaries.
Azharuddin’s century and Ravi Shastri’s 111 set the stage for India to breach the 400-run mark in the first innings. In the first innings, Shivlal Yadav and Chetan Sharma took four wickets each for India. The Kolkata Test, in the end, had a drawn result.
The next Test match was played at Chennai, where India batted first. In the first innings, Mohammad Azharuddin managed to score 48 runs off 90 balls, while Mohinder Amarnath was the top-scorer for India with 78. The first innings came to an end on 272 runs.
In the second innings, he scored 105 off 218 balls, showing excellent batting and temperament. Mohinder Amarnath yet again batted brilliantly, but this time he missed his century by five runs.
Still, in spite of the heroics with bat from Azharuddin and Amarnath, India was unable to win. England won the Chennai Test by a convincing margin of nine wickets.
The fifth Test at Kanpur had a similar beginning, this time with Mohammad Azharuddin scoring yet another century. In the first innings, Azharuddin batted for 122 runs off 270 balls, with he being well supported by Dilip Vengsarkar, who also compiled 137 runs.
Mohammad Azharuddin demonstrated exquisite batting in the second innings as the star of play with an unbeaten fifty, scoring a quickfire 54 from 43 deliveries. His blistering half-century comprised five boundaries. However, even the stupendous and consistent show of Azharuddin could not force a win for India in a game that finished as a draw.
