5 records prove that Ajit Agarkar is an unsung hero of Indian cricket
Ajit Agarkar played 191 ODIs, 26 Tests and 4 T20Is for India. He was most successful in the 50-over format and is the third-highest wicket-taker (288) for India behind Anil Kumble (334) and Javgal Srinath (315). He was more than a handy batsman too and bailed the Men in Blue out of trouble on multiple occasions.
When you talk about pace bowling in India, the first two names come to mind are Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan. Srinath led Indian pace battery in the 90s and early 2000s. Zaheer took over when Srinath retired in 2003.
Interestingly, Agarkar has more ODI wickets than Zaheer despite playing three matches less than the Baroda pacer. Moreover, Agarkar has a better bowling average and a better strike-rate than both Zaheer and Srinath.
When you talk about all-rounders, after Kapil Dev we think about Irfan Pathan. Pathan has played 18 matches at No. 3 whereas Agarkar got the chance to bat at No. 3 twice. At one of those occasions, he made 95 off 101 balls including 11 boundaries and two sixes. His knock helped India post a total of 283 for 6 in 50 overs against the West Indies. However, India lost the match by 4 wickets.
Agarkar chipped in on numerous occasions with both bat and ball but never got the accolades he deserved.
Here are the five records that prove Ajit Agarkar is an unsung hero of Indian cricket.
# Fastest ODI fifty for India
Over the years, India have produced a lot of attacking batsmen, from Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh to Suresh Raina. However, it is Agarkar who holds the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs for India.
Agarkar played one of the best cameos against Zimbabwe at Rajkot on December 14, 2000. The right-handed batsman walked out in the 44th over of the Indian innings when Hemang Badani departed at the score of 216/6. He smashed bowlers all over the park and reached his fifty in just 21 balls. Agarkar remained not out on 67 off 25 balls, that helped India post a decent total of 301/6 in 50 overs.
He was effective with the ball too as he bagged three wickets for 26 runs in 8.4 overs. For his all-around effort, he received the Man of the Match award.