Ajit Balachandra Agarkar

Full Name : Ajit Balachandra Agarkar.
Birthday : Dec 4 , 1977
Birth Place : Mumbai
Country : India
Batting : Right hand batsman
Bowling : Right arm fast medium bowler.
ODI Debut : India vs Australia, at Kochi, on 1/4/98
Test Debut : India vs Zimbabwe at Harare , 1998/99

Profile
This right arm medium pacer from Mumbai is a thin looking fellow but is no push over which he proved by racing to 50 wickets in one day internationals faster than anyone else - breaking the record held by none other than Dennis Lillee. He came up through the India A ranks and in late 90s he was thought to be the most talented young all rounders in the Indian team. However, the thought shattered when he performed poorly in subsequent Tests and ODI's. After a nightmarish tour of Australia, his place in the national side came under severe scrutiny but the determination and talent of this young man helped him in overcoming all the problems. During the year 2000 he proved that he was far from washed up - particularly in the one day game. Towards the end of an eventful year for him, Agarkar hit the fastest half century - off only 21 balls - to surpass a famous record held by Kapil Dev, who reached the mark off in 22 balls in 1983. Now it is on the Indian selectors to take care of him for he seems capable enough to take charge of India's bowling in the coming years.

A Profile on Ajit Agarkar by Bhavya Kumar Vasudevan

The fastest to get to 50 wickets in One Day Internationals, Ajit Agarkar made a speedy start to his International career. The Mumbai paceman is known to skid the bowl through and generate incredible speed off the turf. An ectomorph by physical standards, Agarkar is a type of bowler who can deliver when the conditions are in favour of him. Although he has had his share of injuries, he has been able to maintain an average of 27 runs per wicket in One Day Internationals. His average in Test cricket is however on the higher side and will require special attention. His bowling was a revelation in the Test series in Australia that cost the home team the Adelaide Test match.

Also known with the bat, Agarkar has a Test match century to his name against England at the Mecca of cricket, Lords. However, Agarkar has not done justice to himself by not improving his batting over the years. A victim of 7 ducks in a row against Australia, is perhaps the reason for the low confidence he has in his batting. He has won matches for India with the bat in the past and hopefully will carry on doing so for the team's sake.



All in all Agarkar has proved in the past that he is a match winner with the ball and with the bat. Consistency is the name of the game, and Agarkar will have to stay fit and give a 100% every time he goes out on the field. His past record is impressive, and thats the reason why the selectors have shown faith in him over all these years. It is about time Agarkar shows to the world his true potential.

He came up through the India A ranks and suddenly burst upon the scene in the late 90s as one of the most talented young all rounders in Indian cricket. A nippy medium pacer, capable of moving the ball both ways and a more than useful late order attacking batsman, Ajit Agarkar was hailed as the best thing to happen to Indian cricket for a long time. Great things were expected from this Shivaji Park product in Mumbai and Agarkar indicated that he would live upto early promise by racing to 50 wickets in one day internationals faster than anyone else - breaking the record held by none other than Dennis Lillee.

However, his subsequent record - both in Tests and ODI's - were a grave disappointment. Plagued by injuries, Agarkar was always struggling to hold his place in the side. He had a poor World Cup tournament and on his return sought advice from Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation. Nothing seemed to help however and after a nightmarish tour of Australia, his place in the national side came under severe scrutiny. After all, it could not have been easy to come back from five successive ducks in Test cricket - four of them off the first ball faced. But Agarkar is as determined as he is talented and during the year 2000 he proved that he was far from washed up - particularly in the one day game. Towards the end of an eventful year for him, Agarkar hit the fastest half century - off only 21 balls - to surpass a famous record held by Kapil Dev, who reached the mark off 22 balls in 1983. At the start of the new millennium, Agarkar seems to have cemented his place in the side as a fiercely competitive, dependable - and sometimes even exciting - cricketer.