Former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin is regarded as one of the best batsmen of his time, especially for the grace he showed while batting and for the use of those silken wrists. He is also the one who promoted Sachin Tendulkar to open in ODIs, changing the fortunes of the batsman.

However in 1989, when India was supposed to play Pakistan, Azhar was struggling badly with his form and had doubts of even playing in the series. He then reveals how a former Pakistani batting legend gave him simple advice, which helped him immensely.

“I was not sure about being selected for the Pakistan tour in 1989 as I was struggling badly for form. I remember in Karachi, Zaheer bhai came to the ground to watch us practice. He asked me why I was getting out early. I told him my problems and he suggested I change my grip a bit,” Azharuddin told cricket Pakistan as quoted by PTI.

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“Since I had nothing to lose and he had come himself to the ground and gave me this advice I said why not give it a try. The moment I changed my grip I felt more comfortable and confident and started playing freely. Eventually, it also helped me become a more aggressive batsman,” Azhar recalls.

Azhar, who holds the record for scoring three centuries in each of his first three Tests and is the only Indian to make tons on his debut and in his last Test, revealed how he returned the favor by helping out Younis Khan in 2016.

“He looked ugly in his batting and I felt bad that such a good batsman should play so ungainly. I knew him so I called him up and advised him to stay in the crease and try to play close to the body from inside the crease. I am just happy he took my advice and went on to score a double century in the final Test at the Oval,” Azhar said.

Azhar played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs for India from 1984-2000, scoring 6215 and 9378 runs respectively. He scored a total of 29 centuries and captained India in three World Cups.

(PTI inputs)