Hyderabad: "Ayaz is no more," was the brief SMS a shattered Mohammad Azharuddin sent to his close friends on Friday immediately after the Apollo Hospital declared that his younger son Mohammad Ayazuddin (19) passed away at 11:51 am due to hypoxic encephalopathy, six days after his sports bike skidded on the outer ring road.
Among those who rushed to the hospital were Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, coach John Manoj, Anil Mittal and Dayanand.
As crowds gathered outside, arrangements were made to take the body to Azhar's residence at Solitarie Banjara apartments on Road No 10, Banjara Hills from the backside of the hospital.
An emotional Azharuddin stoodby as relatives and well-wishers, including MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, made the arrangements.
There was grim silence everywhere at the hospital as well as at the gully leading to the apartments. When the body was shifted to Azhar's residence around 3:15 pm, one could see the tragedy that befell on the former captain.
Azharuddin looked lost sometimes but put up a brave face, greeting his well-wishers. "Your student, " he said as Manoj conveyed his condolences.
"I can't believe it. He is no more," said Manoj. Azhar's elder son Asaduddin was in tears. Some of the family members were inconsolable.
After almost two hours, the final moments arrived at 4:55 pm. It was a poignant situation with father Azharuddin and brother Asaduddin lifting the body for the final journey.
"It is one of the worst things that can happen to any father," said a cricketer. And so it was.
Azharuddin, who controlled his emotions, finally burst into tears as the body was placed on a DCM Toyota.
A stream of visitors, including Nizamabad MP Madhu Yakshi, cricketers like Arshad Ayub, Faiyaz Baig and Kanwaljit Singh, were present to lend their support to Azhar.
Some of the Hyderabad Public School students, all friends or acquaintances of Ayazuddin, too had arrived. "I just can't see him in this state or can't believe that he is no more. Only a few weeks back, he came with a cricket kit to practice with us at the camp," recalled Dayanand.
Dayanand went on to add that when Ayaz played, he had never asked for promotion in the batting order.
Manoj observed that Ayaz reminded him a lot of the young Azhar. "Shy and introvert. While Ayaz would wait for instructions, Asaduddin would ask when he would go for batting," remembered Manoj.
Mittal, who was the coach of the Hyderabad under-16 team when Ayazuddin was selected as a third off spinner, said that it was unfortunate they could not play him in the final XI.
"But he never complained. He was a decent off-spinner. The most important thing was he was very quiet like his father in his younger days," said Mittal.
Dayanand said although Ayaz started playing for the State Bank of India from this season, he had played a crucial innings last season to help the East Marredpally Cricket Club win the two-day A-Division title.
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