In a season where Maharashtra are growing from strength to strength, Wednesday was no different at the MCA ground in Pune.
After bowling out Delhi for 191 on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy, they had slipped to 94/7 on Day 2. However, these days there is an air of confidence in Maharashtra’s unit. No matter the situation, they believe one of them will get the job done. And on Wednesday, it was the turn of all-rounder Azim Kazi, whose unbeaten 119 and an unbroken 211-run stand for the eighth wicket with Ashay Palkar (94 batting) enabled them to end Day 2 at 305/7.
While all eyes have been on Ruturaj Gaikwad – who is missing the fixture because of a niggle – Azim has been one of their standout performers this season. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Maharashtra made the final, he tallied 421 runs in nine matches, and carried the form into the Ranji Trophy scoring his third first-class century against a quality Delhi attack while withstanding verbal volleys including from veteran Ishant Sharma.
The journey feels surreal for Azim. He is a late bloomer in every sense. Born in Ahmednagar, he is 29 now and only into his fifth domestic season, and third in the Ranji Trophy. Until his father passed away 11 years ago, cricket was not even his first love.
“Those days, I’d no clue what I wanted to become. My father played club- level cricket and once he passed away, all I wanted to do was play some sort of cricket. And coming from a small town, you don’t know what sort of opportunities exist. And cricket was all about Mumbai. So I didn’t even know how to become a professional cricketer at that time,” Azim recalls to The Indian Express.
With a family to take care of, Azim would engage himself in club-level cricket tournaments which used to fetch him anywhere between Rs 1,000-1,500 a week. Like all age-group amateur cricketers of his age, Azim would criss-cross Maharashtra to feature in prize-money competitions. “It is a big thing here. It is not as professional as in Chennai or Mumbai, but you get to play decent cricket with the red ball as well as the white ball. That is all I did… leave home and play cricket, because I didn’t know what else to do to keep our family afloat,” the left-hander said.
In the 2018-19 season, Azim’s life and career would take a big turn for the better. Now a regular member of the Club of Maharashtra in Pune thanks to his big-hitting ability and left-arm spin, he got a chance to play in the Nehru Cup, from where he was picked by the state selection panel to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s.
“Actually, the state team had done badly and they were looking for new players. That time, I didn’t know they were going to pick us from the tournament. But that season, I ended up getting picked. And from getting Rs 4,000-5,000 a week, straightaway I got Rs one lakh-odd for playing Mushtaq Ali. I’d never seen such big money in my life,” Azim said.
While he would walk into all three formats for Maharashtra in the 2019-20 season, the onset of the pandemic came as a setback. With cricket at all levels coming to a standstill, Azim relied on agents in the UK, like dozens of other domestic players, and somehow managed to reach Durham. He found a home at Consett Cricket Club, which competes in the A League in Durham and would pay him 150 pounds a week.
While he would send that money back home to feed his family that includes two brothers and his mother, the few weeks he spent in Durham would be life-changing. “Our life was beginning to change when Covid happened. My family had started believing I could do something good in cricket and then everything stopped. Somehow I managed to get to the UK, but those days were not easy. It sort of sent me into depression because I was away from home and could play only on weekends. The other five days I will not even have anyone to talk to or practise with. But I’d no choice because I needed some income to feed my family,” Azim said.
One of the hundreds of players yet to experience the riches of the Indian Premier League, Azim’s income totally relies on domestic cricket. In the absence of a full-fledged Ranji Trophy last season, he once again took the flight to the UK, this time to play for Clithore CC in the Lancashire League.
“This time I got 250 pounds a week because I’d good experience. Cricket- wise, there is little to look forward to there because their club-level is nowhere close to what we get here. Only if you play with good cricketers will your game improve. But sometimes, you have to make a few sacrifices in the interests of the family,” Azim said.
With Maharashtra selectors backing him to play all formats and valuable support from the team management, Azim has been making rapid improvements in his game. “Until you play, you don’t know your potential. I started late, so I want to learn as quickly as I can and Rutu(raj Gaikwad) has been guiding me a lot. When I got picked for 50-over cricket, I never thought I could play that long. And it was the same when I was picked for the Ranji Trophy. But once I got there, with all the confidence, I believed I could do it. When I scored a century in my second first-class game, it gave me a lot of confidence. These days, I’m working a lot, especially on my fitness and beginning to get the rewards,” Azim added.
Brief scores: Delhi 191 vs Maharashtra 305/7 in 117 overs (Azim Kazi 119 n.o, Ashay Palkar 94 n.o; Simarjeet Singh 3/58).
The journey feels surreal for Azim. He is a late bloomer in every sense. Born in Ahmednagar, he is 29 now and only into his fifth domestic season, and third in the Ranji Trophy. (Express Photo) 
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