Most Famous Cricketers-turned-politicians

Bangalore: Several cricketers have explored various careers after their retirement. Few turned commentators, few selectors and few even actors! Here we take a look at all those cricketers who turned to politics after their exit from the cricketing world.  

Mohammad Azharuddin

Former captain of India, Mohammad Azharuddin, played his first International cricket match against England on December 1984. He scored three hundreds in his first three tests, a remarkable feat for such a young batsman. His characteristic ‘wrist-flick’ batting style was widely acclaimed. Noted cricket-writer John Woodcock had once said, "It's no use asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin. For, it would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby!"

After falling from grace over the match-fixing scandal, he joined politics. He joined Indian National Congress on February 2009. He turned out to be one of the few successful cricketer-turned-politicians. He was quoted as saying “I am happy to join the Congress but I cannot decide from where I will contest the elections as now I am not the captain. I am here to help the Congress and I have to do good work for the people and for the party.” He eventually contested from Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh. He won the election by defeating his rival by a huge margin.