Mohammed Azharuddeen smashes 54-ball 137 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy; triggers comparison

Kerala's Mohammed Azharuddeen went berserk with the bat, scoring 137 runs in just 54 deliveries to help his side chase down the 197-run target set by Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Wednesday. Azharuddeen's ton made him the first batsman from Kerala to register a hundred in T20s and his milestone makes him the third joint-fastest hundred by an Indian batsman. The Kerala batsman scored nine fours and eleven sixes en route to his match-winning knock against Mumbai in the Group E game at the Wankhede stadium. 

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Kerala's Azharuddeen goes berserk, smashes 137 runs in 54 balls

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Reaching his ton in just 37 deliveries, Azharuddenn tore apart an experienced Mumbai attack at the Wankhede stadium and got able support from Robin Uthappa (33) and one-down Sanju Samson (22). Earlier put into bat, Mumbai posted 196/7 with valuable contributions from Aditya Tare (42), Yashasvi Jaiswal (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (38). Speedster S Sreesanth had an off day as he conceded 47 runs in 4 overs. Azharuddeen's knock earned him the praise of many cricketers, including former Indian opener Virender Sehwag and commentator Harsha Bhogle. 

The 'Voice of Indian cricket' Harsha Bhogle hailed the Kerala's batsman's knock and noted that Azharuddeen's shotmaking reminded him of the former Indian skipper with the same name. 

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Amid inevitable comparisons, is Azharuddeen related to former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin?

The Kerala batsman, who shares the same name as the former Indian skipper and the current chief of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, Mohammad Azharuddin, grabbed eyeballs after his knock on Wednesday. However, Azharuddeen is not related to the former Indian skipper. Born in Kasargod, Azharuddeen made his first-class debut in 2015 following which the right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper went on to make his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the following year. 

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Watch Azharuddeen's ton

At Wankhede Stadium: Mumbai 196/7 (Aditya Tare 42, Yashasvi Jaiswal 40; K M Asif 3/25) lost to Kerala 201/2 (Mohammed Azharuddeen 137 not out; Shams Mulani 1/41) by 8 wickets.