I am in a good zone and not worried about the IPL auction or something: Mohammed Azharuddeen

Kerala’s opening batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen has hogged all the limelight with his exploits in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The youngster played one of the finest innings of unbeaten 137 runs off just 54 deliveries to help Kerala defeat Mumbai by 8 wickets at Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, January 13, Wednesday.

Azharuddeen is named after India’s veteran swashbuckling batsman Mohammed Azharuddin as his elder brother Kamaruddeen was a die-hard fan of the former Indian captain. The youngster was involved in a candid chat with a media portal as he shelled out details about his career, goals and personal life.

When asked whether he has ever met the batting great Mohammed Azharuddin, the 26-year-old revealed that he had a conversation with the former captain once or twice during the Ranji games. The opener also stated that he didn’t follow Azharuddin like his elder brother.

“I have met him like twice or thrice. Once in my hometown and once in Hyderabad when we were there to play Ranji Trophy and he was the head coach of Hyderabad. I shared the story of how I was named after him with Mohd Azharuddin sir. To be frank, like my elder brother, I did not follow Azharuddin sir. I have just watched a few videos of his on Youtube,” Azharuddeen said as quoted by The New Indian Express.

There are some goals, play IPL, score a few hundreds in Ranji trophy: Mohammed Azharuddeen

The 26-year-old, who is a big fan of Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli and former captain MS Dhoni, reckoned that he isn’t worried about getting picked for the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he is in a very good head space and is just focusing on his games in SMAT.

“I am in a good zone. I am not worried about the IPL auction or something. I am just concentrating on our fourth match against Andhra. There are some goals, play IPL, score a few hundreds in Ranji trophy. I (made my) debut in 2015, I didn’t get a chance to bat in top-order. Now I am clear about how to approach my batting, clear in my mind,” Mohammed Azharuddeen concluded.