THE TYPICAL PROBLEM
The Indian team’s search for all-rounders never ended. Bangar, Sodhi, Sriram - all proved that they were not supposed to be here. The only one left is Agarkar - the epitome of inconsistency.
His performance have been something that we cannot ever understand. He sometimes bats well and on occassions bowls well. Even Saurav Ganguly and Virender Shewag does that.
But I think that Agarkar got a better scope of being an all-rounder because he got that extra ordinary amount of luck while batting. He also got that ability to hit big ones - he has proved that. He got even a good arm while throwing - I will say that he is one of the best fielders ever - especially if we consider him as an outfielder.
He has made some fantastic saves and catches on the boundary and his throws were very fast and agile. He got the factors of a batsman+bowler+fielder, but he still fails to live upto the expectations when we want him.
He gets out when we think he is going to score highly and plays nice innings when we think that he is going to be out. Same is the case with bowling. I wonder when he will do his job correctly.....
THE CURRENT SITUATION
An unbeaten 44 runs off 61 balls - this is what Ajit Agarkar finished with at the end of the match. Those were some impressive figures compared to the other players seems to be researching on the different ways of getting out.
But 1/99 and 0/68 were not at all impressive figures. Considering the fact that Irfan Pathan is imjured and Ashish Nehra is waiting outside for a place in the time, he was expected to perform better especially as the team was in big trouble.
If this is the performance expected from him, we should try getting one of those batsmen who seems to be trying to kill mosquitos while batting out and make this person bat at four or five!
He is considered so much consistent in being inconsistent that whenever he comes to bowl, every one thinks that there is going to be a boundary. In the last match itself he could not make any impact against the Aussies.
Atleast he got the wicket of Michael Kasprowicz - got something to cheer about! Even if his bold attempt in batting was impressive, he failed to give us any breakthrough bowling.
I am not sure whether he will continue to be in team for long if he can’t follow a good line and length. He should apply himself into the game much harder and only hardwork can yield results.
After making his debut in 1997/98, he has been getting in and out of the team due to loss of form or injuries. His fame as a strike bowler no longer stays and his comparitively slower deliveries are hit all over the place. Now its all upto the selectors to get this man in or out.
Did the injuries take out his potential? Or is he just at the wrong place at the wrong time? But if he uses his own abilities properly, he is going to be a good asset to the team especially as he got Ashish Nehra to compete with who doesn’t even know how to pick up a bat!
Remember that his bowling average kept under 20 for a long time.....the time has come for him to prove himself once again, if he ever wants to stay in the eleven.
A FLASH BACK
He is the Mumbai duck - some one said that - ducks are nothing unusual - and he is not even a batsman. Avoid this sentence (nightmares do happen to ever one) and look at everything else.
He came to the team after some brilliant performances for the Mumbai team and he continued his form there. Remember the one who holds the record for the fastest One Day fifty for India.
Actually, who could forget the fastest fifty wicket taker in just twenty three matches which made him almost a hope for the future - a bowler who was more consistent than any one else taking a minimum of two wickets in every match till the fifty.
The way in which he crafted out that century at Lords against West Indies was even more impressive - those were the times when I wondered if I were a fan of this man. Following the retirement of Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath on the verge of retirement, all had thought that this man is the next classic all-rounder on whom India can rely on even after being one of the leanest players ever.
His huge hits and swinging deliveries along with the change of pace in deliveries along with some well directed yorkers and bouncers were a highlight of the Indian bowling then before they vanished without any trace. The way he wasted himself after that is quite unbelievable.
TESTS
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct
Batting 21 33 3 420 109* 14.00 50.17 1 0 4
O M R W Ave BBI 5 10 SR Econ
Bowling 682.3 140 2306 52 44.34 6-41 1 0 78.7 3.37
ONE DAY INTERNATIONALS
M I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct
Batting 131 83 26 1025 95 17.98 87.53 0 3 41
O M R W Ave BBI 4w 5w SR Econ
Bowling 1082.1 64 5539 197 28.11 6-42 8 1 32.9 5.11
Full Name: Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar
Born: 4 December 1977
Teams: Mumbai, India, Middlesex
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Fast Medium
JUST THINK ABOUT AJIT AGARKAR IN A C PROGRAM - THERE IS AN ERROR - HE DOESN’T HAVE PROTOTYPE - HE IS NOT A BATSMAN NOR A BOWLER!
I DO HOPE THAT HE COMPLETES 200 WICKETS IN ONE DAYS SOON ENOUGH.....
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