Wankhede on Wednesday witnessed the
rise of Mohammad Azharudden – the first T20 player to score a century for
Kerala, who blasted the opposition bowling, taking only 37 balls to reach his
ton. Taking a total of 54 deliveries to reach his 137-run innings peak, the
wicketkeeper batsman was introduced to the Kerala camp in 2015 through his
first-class debut, Azharudden’s very journey in the sport has been intertwined
a certain another Azharuddin, also having played for India in the past.

Mohammad Azharudden, born in 1994,
was originally sought to be named something else, had it not been for his
brother, Kamarudden, an ardent fan of the-then Indian captain Mohammad
Azharuddin, who insisted that the former’s name be kept after the Indian
skipper.

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It was in its own right, therefore,
on Wednesday evening in Wankhede, that the duo of Azharudden and Sachin Baby –
a former Kerala skipper – brought back a bygone era in the stadium as the win
for Kerala was sealed off by a huge sixer by Azharudden.

The 26-year-old played some proper
cricketing shots in the match, making his presence in the crease felt every now
and then. Having built a solid ground to fight upon, Kerala took home their
second win of the tournament.

The young talent caught the eyes of many, with some expressing their pleasant surprise regarding the same on Twitter.

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After his under-19 and under-23
stints, the Keralite was drafted onto the state team. Interestingly
enough, his stellar performance reflects former Indian captain Azharuddin’s in
the iconic Mumbai ground – with the latter being the second highest ODI scorer
in the field (302 runs).