From time to time, international cricket makes a tryst with the political arena and in recent times it has been former Indian Cricket Captain Mohammed Azharuddin who has created waves in the cricket news for being the latest cricket – political alliance.

Azhar, when posed the question of being a quiet person in an arena that requires skillful oratory said that he spoke when necessary and as much as required. He was challenged with examples of other celebrities who entered politics with great fanfare but did little for their constituencies and asked how he would aim to be different. To this Azhar replied saying, “I always take a decision after putting a lot of thought into it and politics is serious business for me. I do not want to compare myself with the rest as I have always been against comparisons. I put my heart and soul into whatever I do. And so, I do not think I’ll do what the other people did.”

When asked what he hoped to achieve in politics, Azhar outlined some lofty ideals such as doing something for his country and up-liftment of the people. “I entered politics hoping I can do something for my country. I travel a lot and whenever I pass by a village, I feel that the people living in those areas do not lead a life as comfortable as ours. So I want to work for them. Also, I feel that for a country to develop, Education and Health are very important. Thus, I also want to work towards improving the quality of education and healthcare in our country,” he said, voicing admirable sentiments, which should hopefully come to fruition. He did not pitch his ambitions too high and said realistically that, “I do not say that I can change the situation in country completely. If I can improve even half the situation, I think it’ll be a great achievement for me. If I can change even a single person’s life, I’ll be more than happy.”

He was also asked what it was that finally convinced him to jump into the political fray, to which he replied, “Some of my close friends had been trying to convince me. Earlier, I wasn’t that keen to join politics. But after much persuasion by my friends, I gave it a serious thought and finally decided to step in. I usually do not get convinced that easily. I do not do anything unless I am 100 per cent sure about it. My friends have played a major role in convincing me. I thought if this is the way in which I can serve my nation, then why not?”

He also spoke about the days of the match fixing scandal, still maintaining his position of not being guilty of any wrongdoing. When asked about a further stint in cricket, Azhar admitted that he was ready to being associated with the team if the BCCI so wished.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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