The original Azharuddin’s era from 1989 to 1999 saw him captain India and mesmerize with his batting flair, inspiring a generation. Fans named kids after him, including this Azharuddin, born in 1994 in Kerala to admiring parents.

Taking his namesake’s legacy to heart, he entered professional cricket in 2015, debuting in first-class for Goa, List A soon after, and T20 in 2016. Since then, he’s anchored Kerala’s campaigns in all formats.

Dig into his record: 1,932 first-class runs from 43 matches, featuring two hundreds (best 177*) and 11 fifties. List A: 1,163 runs in 55 games with 1 century and 8 half-tons. In 51 T20s, 878 runs at 129.68 SR, including a 137* and another ton.

As a keeper, he’s no slouch—109 catches/16 stumpings (FC), 42/6 (List A), 29/1 (T20).

India’s wicketkeeping pool is overflowing with talents like Pant, Samson, Kishan, Rahul, Jitesh, and Jurel. To crash this party, Azharuddin must elevate his game in upcoming domestics.

His journey underscores the depth of Indian cricket talent. Will selectors finally notice? The wait continues, but his resolve remains unshaken.

Picture this: Samson’s blade danced through West Indies in the quarters with 97 not out, tamed England in semis with 89, and sealed glory against New Zealand in the final with yet another 89. These performances etched his name in World Cup lore.

In IPL annals, from 2013 to 2025, Samson notched 4,704 runs in 172 innings across 177 games, boasting 3 tons and 26 fifties. Dhoni’s benchmark stands at 5,439 runs in 242 innings over 278 matches, with 24 half-centuries. While Rahul touched 5,000+, his keeping duties weren’t uniform.

This pursuit turns poetic as Samson swaps RR’s pink for CSK’s yellow, playing under Dhoni’s shadow in his former franchise. Loyal to RR since 2018, captain from 2021, and finalists in 2022, Samson’s 2025 exit led to this blockbuster trade.

As IPL 2026 unfolds, all eyes on whether Samson scripts history, bridging his World Cup triumph with league legacy, potentially alongside the man he admires most.

England were set 153 to win after Scotland folded for 152. Buttler, requiring three runs, dispatched the ball in the second over to join the 4,000-run club. Remarkably, this was his 150th T20I – a record for any Englishman and fifth globally, behind Paul Sterling’s 163.

Since debuting against India in 2011, Buttler has been a T20 force: 4,000 runs at 35+ average, 148 strike rate, 28 fifties, and a ton. His highest is 101. He follows Kohli, Sharma, and Azam as the fourth overall to this barrier.

On the field, Berrington’s 49 and Jones’ 33 propped Scotland, but Banton’s unbeaten 63 (7 fours) and Bethell’s 32 sealed a comfortable chase in 18.2 overs.

This milestone underscores Buttler’s evolution from explosive finisher to all-time great. With England’s campaign heating up, expect the 34-year-old to keep rewriting records.

On August 25th, Vinod played a match against the Thrissur Titans. He started the innings and dominated with 8 sixes in just 38 balls, scoring 86 runs with a strike rate of 226.32. His aggressive batting helped the Aries Kochi Sailors win the match by 8 wickets, chasing a target of 145 runs set by the Thrissur Titans, who had scored 144 runs in 19.5 overs.

Prior to this, on August 24th, Vishnu Vinod had showcased his prowess against Sanju Samson’s Kochi Blue Tigers. In that match, he smashed 10 sixes in 41 balls, scoring 94 runs with a strike rate of 229.27. Although his team scored 236 runs, they couldn’t win the match as Sanju Samson’s century proved decisive in the chase.

In these two matches, Vinod’s performance included 18 sixes. He now holds the record for the most sixes in KCL 2025. Furthermore, he leads the league with 181 runs. He is also at the top of the list for most half-centuries, having scored two so far.

Vishnu Vinod, who was bought for ₹13.8 lakh in KCL 2025, is proving to be a valuable asset to his team.

He is only the second wicket-keeper batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test match, a feat previously achieved by Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower. Pant has also broken MS Dhoni’s record for the most Test centuries by an Indian wicket-keeper. His rise is especially significant for India’s Test future, particularly after the retirements of senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. His comeback from a 2022 car accident highlights his dedication and hard work.

The top 10 men’s Test rankings are as follows: 1. Joe Root, 2. Harry Brook, 3. Kane Williamson, 4. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 5. Steve Smith, 6. Temba Bavuma, 7. Rishabh Pant, 8. Ben Duckett, 9. Kamindu Mendis, and 10. Saud Shakeel.

Pant has now joined Dhoni and Syed Kirmani as the only wicketkeepers to reach this milestone. Pant achieved 150 catches in 44 matches, while Dhoni took 90 matches to claim 256 catches and Kirmani secured 160 catches in 88 games. Pant’s recent performance included him surpassing MS Dhoni as the most prolific Indian wicketkeeper to score a century in a Test game, scoring his seventh on the second day of the first Test at Leeds. Pant reached the milestone by hitting a six off Shoaib Bashir. This century was his first since September 2024, when he scored 109 against Bangladesh.

Dhoni scored 4,876 runs with 6 tons and 33 fifties in 90 Tests, averaging 38.09. Pant, in 44 Tests, has scored 134 runs off 134 balls (12-4; 6-6), 3000 runs in this inning, and 15 fifties with an average of almost 44. Wriddhiman Saha, Syed Kirmani and Farokh Engineer and Nayan Mongia are also featured in the list of notable Indian wicketkeepers.