India's playing 11 from Mohammad Azharuddin's last international match in 2000 - where are they now?
Mohammad Azharuddin turns 61 today. The former Indian captain started his career in 1984 and played at the highest level until 2000. He played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs for India and captained the side in around half of those matches.
His career came to an abrupt end at the turn of the millennium, as he was given a lifetime ban by BCCI for his involvement in match-fixing. The life ban was lifted after an appeal in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2012 when he was almost 50 years old.
Known for his fine wristwork, Azharuddin scored 9378 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 36.92 and a strike rate of 74.02. In the longest format of the game, the middle-order batter scored 6215 runs at an average just above 45.
His last international match happened to be against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. The Men in Green won the match by 44 runs and also won the tournament by beating Sri Lanka in the final.
Azharuddin has been working as a politician since 2009. He is the current President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, having assumed office in 2019. He has also been the President of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee since 2014.
In this article, we will look at what the playing 11 from Mohammad Azharuddin's last international match in 2000 are up to as of today.
Openers: Sourav Ganguly (C) and Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, the openers against Pakistan in Azharuddin's last international match, need no introduction. Ganguly had been made captain just a few months before this match, in the aftermath of the match-fixing scandal.
The newly appointed skipper scored eight runs, and Tendulkar added 25 runs to the scoreboard. Tendulkar also bowled his full quota of overs in the first innings but went wicketless for 41 runs.
Ganguly retired from international cricket in 2008 and from all forms of cricket in 2012, after which he worked as a cricket administrator. He was the President of the BCCI from 2019 to 2022. The 51-year-old has been the Chairman of the ICC Men's Cricket Committee since November 17, 2021.
Tendulkar called it a day on his cricket-playing journey in 2013, after 24 years at the top. Since then, he has been roped in by UNICEF as their Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia as well as their National Ambassador for India. He has forayed into philanthropy, primarily through his charitable organization, the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation.
Tendulkar has also turned into a businessman, opening two restaurants in Mumbai. He made his commentary debut during the 2019 ODI World Cup. The former Indian batter has also been involved with the Mumbai Indians in the role of a mentor and icon.
Middle-order: Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja
Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja followed the openers to make it a potent top-five for India. Dravid scored 26 off 32 balls before being dismissed LBW by Abdul Razzak, which was similar to Tendulkar's wicket.
Azharuddin scored just one run in his final international match. Jadeja was India's top scorer on the day, scoring 93 runs off 103 balls. He smashed eight boundaries and four sixes before getting out in the last over of the chase, as India lost by 44 runs.
Dravid announced his international retirement in 2012 before retiring from all forms of cricket in 2013. He has been working as the head coach of the Indian cricket team since 2021, after serving in a similar role for India U-19 and India A from 2015 to 2021.
Like Azharuddin, Jadeja was also given a lifetime ban from cricket in 2000, which was lifted in 2003. However, he never played for India again. Post-retirement, the 53-year-old has worked as an actor, pundit, commentator, and coach. Most recently, he was seen working as Afghanistan's assistant coach and mentor at the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Lower-middle-order: Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia (WK) and Anil Kumble
Robin Singh scored a steady 21 off 38 balls after walking in to bat 75/4, following Tendulkar's dismissal in Azharuddin's last international match. Nayan Mongia perished after scoring just four runs.
Anil Kumble scored 10 runs in 19 balls. He was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the first innings, as he scalped three wickets for the concession of 43 runs. Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi were his victims in Azharuddin's last match.
Despite playing 136 ODIs for India, Singh has probably made a bigger impact since his playing days as a coach. He has coached at various levels, such as junior India teams, IPL sides, and the Indian national team as well.
Singh launched his academy, Robin Singh Sports Academy, in Dubai in 2017. He is currently working as a consultant for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. The former all-rounder is also the head coach at MI Emirates.
Like Azharuddin and Jadeja, Mongia's last ODI match was also against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on June 3, as he was also allegedly involved in match-fixing. Unlike most players on this list, Mongia is not actively contributing to the cricketing world as of now.
India's leading wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, Kumble, retired from international cricket in 2008 and from franchise cricket in 2010. After retirement, the legendary spinner has worked as a coach, a cricket administrator, and an entrepreneur.
Kumble was most recently the head coach of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), but he has also worked as a chief mentor for the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was the chairman of the ICC Men's Cricket Committee from 2012–2021.
The Karnataka man also worked as head coach of the Indian national team from 2016–2017 before resigning due to reported differences with then-captain Virat Kohli. He is the co-founder of Tenvic Sports, which is a sports-ed company founded in 2010.
Bowlers: Ajit Agarkar, Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran and Amit Bhandari
Ajit Agarkar picked up two wickets and conceded 47 runs in his full quota of overs. He also played a gritty knock of 21, stitching a 52-run partnership with Jadeja for the eighth wicket. However, the other two pacers in Azharuddin's last international match had forgetful outings.
Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran conceded 86 runs in his ten overs. Amit Bhandari, who was on debut, took two wickets but gave away 75 runs. They had a combined figure of 2/161 in 20 overs, while the other three bowlers (including Tendulkar, a part-timer) had figures of 5/131 in 30 overs.
Agarkar played his last international match in 2007, six years before hanging up his boots in domestic cricket. He worked as a cricket analyst, commentator, and coach after retirement. The Mumbai-born is the current chairman of the BCCI selection committee.
Kumaran played just eight ODIs for India, the last one being against Pakistan in Azharuddin's last international match. After retiring, the former ICL star moved to the United States and worked as an assistant coach under Robin Singh. He also coached the United States U-19 team at the 2015 Americas U-19 Championship.
Bhandari played just one more ODI for India after his subpar debut in Azharuddin's last match. He was the chairman of selectors for Delhi's senior and U-23 teams. In 2019, he was assaulted by men with hockey sticks and iron rods during a cricket match in Delhi after he didn't pick a certain player, Anuj Dheda.