5 forgotten victories of India under Mohammad Azharuddin's captaincy

Before the infamous match-fixing episode tarnished his legacy, Mohammad Azharuddin's stature in Indian cricket was akin to a folk-hero in a parable. If his sinewy stroke-play made you fall in love with batting, the charismatic cricketer's astonishing catching and inimitable nonchalance elevated his personality to another level.

During the 90s, the mantle of captaincy exchanged hands between him and Sachin Tendulkar on a frequent basis. When it was with the stylish Hyderabadi, he converted India into an impregnable fortress.

Although his laid-back leadership often resulted in heavy defeats for India outside their comfort zone, Azharuddin oversaw a period of tremendous success on home soil. Let us take a close look at five of the most underrated victories in the elegant right-hander's captaincy career across both Tests and ODIs.

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#5 Against South Africa in Calcutta (1993 Hero Cup Semi-Final)

It was the semi-final of a major tournament played out in front of a packed Eden Gardens. Defending just six runs off the last over, one would think that the obvious choice of stepping up to the plate would befall on a reliable seam bowler. India had three of them, a rarity then. If Javagal Srinath was at his quickest, Kapil Dev's effectiveness with the white-ball stood undiminished by the vagaries of time. Manoj Prabhakar's steady mix of canny cutters and slower yorkers also remained in the arsenal. Yet, the challenge was entrusted with Tendulkar and his seemingly innocuous medley of variations.

The part-time bowler, who often switched between seam-up and leg-breaks, ran to his skipper in earnest and threw his hat in the ring. Bemused by the then 20-year old's confidence, Azharuddin gave him the go-ahead to the disbelief of the partisan crowd. Perhaps off-set by the unexpected opponent, the South African batsmen implored in spectacular fashion.

A suicidal second run consumed Fanie de Villiers in the first delivery of the last over. The Indians breathed a sigh of relief as the well-set Brian McMillan was stuck at the non-striker's end. Tendulkar maintained a stranglehold on Allan Donald by targeting the fuller length. When the fast bowler finally managed to get off the strike, he had left McMillan with a mountain to climb. With four runs needed for victory, the right-hander could not connect with his almighty slog. India progressed to the final and proceeded to lift the Hero Cup on the back of a convincing performance against West Indies.

Brief Scores: India - 195 from 50 overs (Mohammad Azharuddin 90, Pravin Amre 48, Fanie de Villiers 3/19, Richard Snell 3/33); South Africa - 193/9 from 50 overs (Andrew Hudson 62, Brian McMillan 48*, Anil Kumble 2/29)

Result - India won by 2 runs

Watch Tendulkar's match-winning last over

#4 Against England in Mumbai (1993 Test series)

Azharuddin remains the only Indian captain to whitewash England in both Test and ODI series

Dubbed 'The Bombay Brownwash', the third Test between India and England assumed plenty of significance. An emphatic innings victory at the Wankhede Stadium resulted in the first ever instance of India clean-sweeping their opponent in a Test series of at least three matches.

After sealing the series with an innings win in Chennai, India were looking to heap further humiliation on England when the final Test began in Bombay. The visitors failed to make use of the advantage of winning the toss on a batting-friendly surface. Were it not for Graeme Hick's master-class, their total would have been much lower.

Vinod Kambli masterminded India's response with a breathtaking double century. Useful contributions right throughout the batting lineup helped the hosts put up a commanding score on the board. Once seamer Manoj Prabhakar sliced open the top-order with a sizzling new-ball spell, the spinners got to work. Anil Kumble stymied the semblance of resistance from the experienced middle-order. India duly completed an innings triumph to wrap up the series by a 3-0 margin.

Brief Scores: England - 347 (Graeme Hick 178, Kapil Dev 3/35, Anil Kumble 3/95) & 229 (Robin Smith 62, Mike Gatting 61, Anil Kumble 4/70, Manoj Prabhakar 3/28); India - 591 (Vinod Kambli 224, Navjot Singh Sidhu 79, Phil Tufnell 4/142)

Result - India won by an innings & 15 runs

Relive India's historic 3-0 clean-sweep of England

#3 Against Sri Lanka in Sharjah (1995 Asia Cup Final)

Azharuddin receives the coveted Asia Cup as renowned administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya looks on

With two victories and one defeat each, India and Sri Lanka surged to the final of the 1995 Asia Cup at the famous Sharjah Cricket Stadium. On a placid track, Azharuddin won the toss and decided to chase. When the explosive Sanath Jayasuriya combined with Roshan Mahanama to set a strong platform, the Indian skipper might have doubted his decision.

Much to Azharuddin's relief, both openers fell one after another. His move to introduce spin earlier than anticipated worked wonders for India. While Kumble procured the first breakthrough, Prasad continued to operate tightly. Aside from Asanka Gurusinha, the rest of the middle-order failed to get going and Sri Lanka could only manage to reach 230.

After Tendulkar provided a rollicking start, Azharuddin joined hands with Navjot Singh Sidhu to oversee the run-chase in a ruthless manner. While the skipper targeted the boundary relentlessly, his batting partner rotated the strike with consummate ease. The duo shared an unbeaten 175-run partnership to lead India to a comfortable triumph and the ensuing Asia Cup title.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka - 230/7 from 50 overs (Asanka Gurusinha 85, Venkatesh Prasad 2/32, Anil Kumble 2/50); India - 233/2 from 41.5 overs (Mohammad Azharuddin 90*, Navjot Singh Sidhu 84*, Chaminda Vaas 1/52, Champaka Ramanayake 1/52)

Result - India won by 8 wickets with 49 balls to spare

#2 Against Sri Lanka in Colombo (1993 Test series)

Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar hammered a century each to propel India to victory

During the 1990s, India remained unconquered against numerous visiting teams. No opposition could win a Test series on Indian soil during that particular decade. However, the team's fortunes outside their comfort zone were in stark contrast to their enviable success at home. From as many as 39 Tests, they could only notch a solitary victory as against 15 defeats.

India's only Test victory away from home during the 90s came in Sri Lanka. With persistent rain washing out the first match of the series in Kandy, the action moved to Colombo after a brief 50-over stop-over in the same city. Upon winning the toss, the visitors rode on a significant partnership between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Vinod Kambli before a middle-order collapse restricted their total to 366. The attacking left-hander top-scored with a powerful century.

Anil Kumble's five-wicket haul enabled India to gain a handy first-innings lead. Sidhu and Manoj Prabhakar shared a substantial opening stand to assert India's dominance. The former managed to three-figures this time around. Sachin Tendulkar's rapid century swelled the lead before Azharuddin declared the innings. Chasing an improbable target of 472, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 236 by a combined effort from the bowlers. India maintained their 1-0 lead in the next Test to complete a series victory.

Brief Scores: India - 366 (Vinod Kambli 125, Navjot Singh Sidhu 82, Jayananda Warnaweera 3/76) & 359/4 declared (Sidhu 104, Sachin Tendulkar 104*, Manoj Prabhakar 95, Ruwan Kalpage 2/97); Sri Lanka - 254 (Arjuna Ranatunga 88, Anil Kumble 5/87) & 236 (Aravinda de Silva 93, Prabhakar 3/49)

Result - India won by 235 runs

#1 Against Pakistan in Dhaka (1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup, 3rd Final)

Sourav Ganguly's sublime century enabled India to hunt down a mammoth total

In what was a classic example of irony, Bangladesh belatedly celebrated 25 years of their independence by inviting Pakistan and India for a triangular tournament. As expected, the hosts lost both of their games to leave the round of finals for the two Asian giants. With both teams obtaining one victory each from the first two finals, the stage was set for one last showdown.

As was the norm then, the likes of Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed added another chapter of their affinity for India's bowling attack. Both batsmen scored scintillating centuries to propel Pakistan to a colossal score. Even though history showed that such a target could not be hunted down, the Indian batsmen did not cede their belief as the surface remained benign.

Tendulkar made his intentions pretty clear by blasting a 26-ball 41. When he fell to Shahid Afridi, his opening partner Sourav Ganguly took control of the situation. The elegant southpaw smashed a sizzling century and formed a match-defining partnership with Robin Singh. When the duo were separated, they had taken their team to the precipice of victory. But Saqlain Mushtaq's venomous spell kept Pakistan in the hunt. Amidst fading light, Hrishikesh Kanitkar knocked off the winning runs to seal the then record-run chase for India.

Brief Scores: Pakistan - 314/5 from 48 overs (Saeed Anwar 140, Ijaz Ahmed 117, Harvinder Singh 3/74); India - 316/7 from 47.5 overs (Sourav Ganguly 124, Robin Singh 82, Saqlain Mushtaq 3/66)

Result - India won by 3 wickets with 1 ball to spare

Reminisce India's thrilling run-chase in the third final