Mohammad Azharuddin turns 53: When former Indian skipper hit Lance Klusener for five consecutive boundaries in Tests

New Delhi: Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, widely regarded as one of the most elegant players to have played the game, turns 53 today. Azhar, known for his raised collar and white helmet, is also one of India's greatest skippers.

While the wristly batsman enthralled fans with several breathtaking knocks, an incident which the fans can never forget is when he dispatched former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener for five consecutive boundaries in one over in a Test match.

To those who breathe cricket and has seen the legend run between those 22 yards, could clearly recall the second test match in the India-South Africa series, where the former captain had sent five of Klusener's six deliveries to the boundaries. Despite his injury, Azhar had fought hard to notch up a brilliant 109 runs off just 77 balls.

Watch the incident here:

Hailing from the city known for its sumptuous Biryani, the Hyderabadi's career included 334 ODIs and just 99 Tests. Interestingly, he is also among the few to score a hundred, both in his first and last Test match.

A wizard with the bat, Azhar was acclaimed for his wristy strokes and leg-side play, something that put him alongside Greg Chappell and Zaheer Abbas.

In India's tour of New Zealand, back in February 1990, Azhar had taken over the captaincy from Krishnamachari Srikkanth, thus beginning a new phase in his life. His success as an Indian captain only seconds to Sourav Ganguly.

His delightful career came to a sudden end when he was banned for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal in 2000.

However, his ban was lifted in 2012. Following his cricket career, Azharuddin went on to join politics and became a Member of Parliament. He won a Congress ticket in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, in 2009.

But those who have witnessed the legend at play, do remember his wizardry.