Hailed as the next Kapil Dev, he was as physically different from the Haryana-born World Cup winner as anyone could be. Frail and flappy-eared, Ajit Agarkar hardly looked menacing with a bat in hand. His jersey always looked oversized, his helmet looked too big for him and the backlift, excessively high and awkward, made it look like he’ll definitely miss the ball.
Agarkar blew hot and cold with the bat through his career. He was never dependable, highlighted by his infamous record of seven consecutive ducks in Test matches. But then, he also had a century at Lord’s, something even the great Sachin Tendulkar could never manage in his international career. He knew his way around a bat, but never seemed to know when the next knock was coming.
On 14 December 2000, Agarkar cooked up one of those confounding knocks that caught the opposition in as much astonishment as his own teammates. He fired 67 off just 25 balls against Zimbabwe in an ODI, the fastest 50 ever by an Indian in that format, a record that still stands. Incidentally, while doing so he beat Kapil Dev’s record, set in 1983.
Acting captain Rahul Dravid lost the toss, and India were sent in to bat by Heath Streak, Dravid's opposite number. The decision seemed to be paying rich dividends when the Zimbabwean pacers reduced the Indian line-up to 84-4.
The untested Indian lower order then suddenly sprang into action. Hemang Badani and Reetinder Singh Sodhi combined to steady the ship, but quick runs were needed to put a competitive score on the board. That’s when Ajit Agarkar entered.
Generally known for his awkwardly graceful strokes, Agarkar needed to up the ante in the last six overs, and did that in some style. He didn’t hold back in hauling Heath Streak, one of the better bowlers of his time, over the ropes. The already high backlift came down like a guillotine to smack the ball with the kind of brute force not generally associated with a feeble looking Agarkar.
The stupefied Zimbabweans, taken aback by the unexpected assault, sprayed deliveries everywhere towards the end, ruining their own numbers, to let India past 300. It felt as if Agarkar had been injected with a dose of self-confidence, for the usually measured Mumbaikar was dancing down the track and smacking bowlers over their head.
His unbeaten 67, along with his three wickets in the Zimbabwean innings, earned him the Man of the Match award and cemented his status as India’s top all-rounder in the first half of the 2000s.
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