By IANS,
New Delhi : Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin may be the latest from the world of cricket to join politics, sources close to the player suggested Tuesday.
Speculation is rife that the former stylish batsman might contest elections on Congress ticket from his hometown Hyderabad.
Azharuddin had denied earlier reports that he might either join or campaign for the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections.
Those reports stemmed from an hour-long luncheon meeting the former captain had with TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao at the home of an Urdu newspaper editor.
Despite his premature exit from the cricket following allegations of match fixing, Azharuddin still has a huge fan following.
Last year cricketer-turned-politician Dodda Ganesh and a close friend of Azhar — as the player is widely known — joined the Janata Dal-Secular.
It was Azharuddin who reportedly advised Ganesh to join the JD-S though he was being wooed by other national parties as well.
One of India’s most successful cricketers, Azharuddin’s innings came to an abrupt end after a disciplinary committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) imposed a life ban on him in December 2000.
Azharuddin challenged the ban in a court. The case is dragging on. Azharuddin now runs a successful event management firm as well as a health club called Est.