I am still laughing my guts out!! Started highlighting some parts .. but, gave up .. hilarious right throughout:
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ICL received a very big boost today with India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar joining the rebel league this morning. Confirming this, Agarkar said that he had been approached by ICL while playing the T20 World cup in South Africa and had been contemplating his move for a while. Speaking to BSN, Subash Chandra of Zee group that is running the ICL said "Ajit is a wonderful thing to happen to ICL and we are sure that not only as a player but also as a senior cricketer he will have much to offer to many junior fast bowlers by way of guidance from his extensive international experience, and of course top international batsmen like Lara, Inzaman and others would be as delighted too and fans can look forward to extremely fast paced cricket now in the ICL T20"
Ajit Agarkar speaking to BSN , while confirming he had signed up for ICL , was not willing to discuss the financial aspects of his contract "Those things have to be confidential, but I am more interested in what I can contribute to the ICL T20 with my ability and experience. T20 is a format where all spectators come to watch 4s and 6s galore, and here I believe I woulld be able to live up to the expectations of fans". When he was asked whether this would mean the end of his career playing for India, Agarkar said" That really is a decision to be taken by the BCCI. As far as ICL is concerned,they have no problems with anyone playing for India"
Agarkar who has played 26 tests, 191 ODIs and 4 T20 matches for India, has taken 3 wkts in T20 and 28.8 wkts in ODIs with an economy rate of 11.37 in ODIs and a slightly better economy rate of 13.51 in T20s, was chiefly instrumental in India winning the T20 finals against Pakistan, a highly worthwhile achievement especially considering he did not play in the XI. One of the most talked about fast bowlers of India, all through his career, he had left Indian fans shaking their heads in sheer amazement with his variety in bowling, and also adaptability in ensuring that the ball went to all parts of the stadium irrespective of how many fielders were positioned. His ability to raise the standards of play when bowling to top batsmen, and also ensuring that the net required run rate always drastically reduced within a matter of 2-3 overs has been unparalleled in Indian cricket.
"T20 is an exciting format, and even when compared to the ODIs, there is very little time to adjust in course of the game, and one has to make an instant impact in the game", says Agarkar. Further adding "it is the challenge that motivates me at all times, even coming on to bowl with the opposition needing 9.5 per over, one has to hit the right areas and within a couple of overs reduce their required rate to less than 5. The facts are you only have a couple of overs to do this, of course a seasoned bowler like myself can always extend these 2 overs to around 16-18 balls by focusing on the wide balls , no balls etc. It is these things that I wish to impart to the younger bowlers in ICL"
Known particularly for his bowling at the end of an innings, Agarkar, whose bowling had caused the death of many a game said "Bowling at the death is a skill and the real test is one has to ensure within 2-3 overs that it is the death of our bowling. It is an understanding of the job on hand that is vital to success. Death bowling means, batsmen have to be made to play murderously". Most Indian captains would automatically associate Agarkar's bowling with death bowling and no wonder Indian fans almost always would be in a state of denial and mourning after a spell from Agarkar.
Agarkar conceded that his ability and skill levels were always increasing over the last few years, and attributed this to bowling in the nets to Sachin Tendulkar, who had always rooted for and insisted upon his selection. It is widely believed that Sachin Tendulkar has told many cricketers in private that he owes almost all his career runs and 100s to Agarkar and the confidence he got out of batting Agarkar in the nets. Agarkar himself is modest about this "Sachin is a great batsman, and of course there had been a couple of times when he had been in awful form and I had helped him to regain form by bowling to him in the nets. But mind you, this is something I have achieved against almost all top world batsmen all through my career" says Agarkar.
BCCI president Sharad Pawar would not comment on this, saying Niranjan Shah the secretary is already in touch with Agarkar and would have a statement later. It is rumored that the BCCI is now worried about a mass exodus of all batsmen from IPL to ICL, and also that IPL may not have that much of a fan excitement now in terms of boundaries being hit almost every other ball. BCCI had already rewarded Ajit Agarkar with Rupees 30 Lakhs for not playing the T20 final match, and the Maharashtra government had announced a further award of Rs 5 Lakhs for each dot ball that Agarkar bowls in the next 100 ODIs.
But Agarkar insists "I am not worried about the money, although I know I may not make much money from the state government's award. ICL has announced a special incentive program of Rs 10 Lakhs for each over of 20 runs I bowl, but it is not a matter of earning 40-50 Lakhs per game, it is the competitive thrill and the need to give back to the game and opposition batsmen what our batsmen had gained for us while batting"
Apart from his bowling exploits, it has to be remembered that Agarkar is no mean bat, as his succession of scores reading 1.0.0 indicate. His running between the wicket had brought joy to many Indian fans as well. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and South African captain Graeme Smith have both expressed their disappointment at Agarkar's decision, saying that their teams are considerably weakened now, but said they respect his decision as a professional cricketer. "Ajit has always been a class act, and even when the opposition is down and out, his ability as a bowler to dig in deep and dig it short enough to for all batsmen , that puts the game out of the bowling team's reach in a remarkably short time has few equals" . Smith added "It would be hard for us to find a replacement option, but we have to live with it the game goes on". Agarkar's impact on various international teams is evident by these two statements and Indian fans will now have to wait and watch what Lara and Inzaman have in store for them, and if Agarkar's recent record is any indication, ICL cricket is all set for a blazing start.
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AuthorTopic: Hilarious article on Agarkar (Read 334 times)
July 14, 2006, 09:00:17 AM
