So how long does it take for life to come a full circle? Exactly 77 days if you are Ajit Bhalchandra Agarkar!
A little over two months after he was treated with indifference, the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) senior selection committee on Tuesday asked the 34-year-old to lead Mumbai in the West Zone leg of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (Ranji one-dayers).
Agarkar’s first assignment will be against Baroda at Wankhede next Wednesday. Ajinkya Rahane, the other main contender for the top job, will be his deputy.
It may be recalled that Agarkar was informed of his ouster from the playing XI a day before the Ranji trophy match against Orissa (November 29-February 2) at Tangi. The former India player flew back home so as to “not spoil the dressing room atmosphere”.
Fast-forward to February 2012: Wasim Jaffer resigned as skipper after Mumbai lost the Ranji semifinal to Tamil Nadu. Tuesday’s announcement completed the absolute turnaround in Agarkar’s fortunes. “Once Wasim resigned, there had to be a new captain.
And I know there were just one or two candidates who could take over. Moreover, I was vice-captain for many seasons,” Agarkar said, admitting that he knew he was in contention to lead Mumbai.
Will he be comfortable working with people responsible for him being marginalised? “Look, that’s not the right way to look at it. All the issues have been sorted out. It’s a new beginning,” he said.
For the record, Agarkar had captained Mumbai’s U-16 and U-19 teams and led the latter to victory in 1995-96. “I led Mumbai to victory in the Cooch Behar Trophy during my last year in the U-19 team. The following season, I made my Ranji Trophy debut (1996-1997). I have also led the West Zone side in the Deodhar Trophy, besides leading Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Captaincy is not something new to me. I was also vice-captain for several years,” he said.
He wants to ensure that the Mumbai dressing room is not a bitter place anymore. “I want my players to play for each other,” he insisted. “I believe that whatever happens in the dressing room should stay there. Not just that, the issues should be solved within those four walls,” he said.
Agarkar revealed that he did meet coach Sulakshan Kulkarni after the Cuttack episode. “Once you are on the field, you leave your differences aside. We are all professionals,” he said.But he made it clear that the buck would stop with him. “Suggestions are always welcome, not just from the coach but also fellow players. Eventually, I make the decisions because I am responsible for the playing XI and the batting order.”
Squad: A Agarkar (capt), A Rahane (v-c), W Jaffer, R Powar, S Yadav, D Kulkarni, A Nayar, I Abdullah, S Marathe (wk), A Chavan, K Waingankar, B Sandhu (jr), S Chitnis, S Shaikh, A Revandkar
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