Agarkar hopes to get back into reckoning

Ajit Agarkar’s last trip to Ahmedabad was as part of the Indian Test team.

Ajit Agarkar’s last trip to Ahmedabad was as part of the Indian Test team. A lot has changed for the enigmatic pacer since December 2005. That game against Sri Lanka three years back proved to be his last home Test. It has also been more than a year since he played his last one-dayer.

All through his career, regardless of his form at the international level, Agarkar was deadly on the domestic circuit. But even that has changed this season. Fitness issues and a viral fever have compounded Agarkar’s problems, and he hasn’t been the impact bowler Mumbai have been used to.

Ironically, this season, Mumbai’s pace cabinet is overflowing. Agarkar may still get the new ball, but the spearhead is clearly Dhawal Kulkarni. But, ahead of the quarter-final against Himachal, Agarkar seems a man on mission. “It has been a bit disappointing as I haven’t performed as per the team’s expectation,” he said.

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With the Ranji action now in the do-or-die knock out stage, Agarkar knows it’s a good time to get back into the thick of the action. Is he thinking of an international comeback as well?

“Frankly speaking, nobody plays thinking the selectors are watching. Everybody wants to play for the national side,” said Agarkar, who has also been excluded from a central BCCI contract this year.

Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer, who has had a long association with Agarkar, is confident things will fall in place. “He comes with plenty of experience and has been our main bowler for several years. This match will be important for him, especially with the selectors watching,” said Jaffer, who is himself struggling to find a place in the Test team after Gautam Gambhir’s run of form.

Things will be relatively easy for the two comeback men since they face Himachal Pradesh, a plate division side that has qualified for quarter-finals. But they will have to contend with former team mates Bhavin Thakkar and Vinit Indulkar, both now playing for Himachal and clearly looking to score a few points against their former team.

Other quarter-finals

UP vs Gujarat in Vadodara

Tamil Nadu vs Bengal in Bangalore