Most hated XI in international cricket

5. Mohammad Azharuddin

It is almost saddening to see some of the greatest cricketers of all-time featuring so high on this list. Mohammad Azharuddin, one of the classiest and elegant middle-order batsmen of all time, a legend with 22 Test centuries, 7 ODI centuries and over 15,000 International runs to his name – despite amassing such amazing numbers, he never was in the good books of Indian fans.

Although it is not justified for fans to judge a cricketer for his personal life issues, Azharuddin was allegedly involved in various relationships despite being married to actress Sangeeta Bijlani. But arguably the biggest reason behind the fans hating him was his involvement in the match-fixing scandal in 2000. Although the ban on him was lifted in 2011, he missed some great years of his cricketing career serving suspensions.

6. Michael Clarke

One of the most elegant and mentally tough cricketers Australia produced, Michael Clarke finished his career in 2015 as an absolute legend of the game and also as a World Cup-winning captain. Yet, just like some of the other Australian cricketers mentioned in the list, he had a fair share of disciplinary issues on and off the field.

His unnecessary involvement in brawls with Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and other Indian cricketers during the 2007/08 tour was one of the first instances when the fans noticed his bad side. Mitchell Johnson also went on to quote that the Mickey Arthur and Clarke era after Ponting’s retirement was “Toxic” and he hated to play in that side.

He was another one of those cricketers who firmly believed in winning the game at any cost and despite earning a good image in his broadcasting career, Clarke can never erase some of the things he has done as a player and a captain.

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