Ajit Agarkar is a former Indian cricketer and bowler, who retired from the sport in 2013. He was a right-arm fast bowler. Over his nine years in Indian cricket, he played in 26 Tests, 191 ODIs and four T20Is. He was a crucial cog in the Indian bowling attack. Everyone remembers his role in India’s Test fixture win over Australia at Adelaide in 2003. It was India’s first Test win in Australia in 23 years.
Agarkar was born on December 4, 1977. He was born in Bombay to Meena and Balachandra Agarkar. He has a sister named Manik. He married Fatima Ghadially (now Fatima Agarkar) on February 9, 2002. The two have a son named Raj. Together, the couple run ACE (Agarkar Centre of Excellence), which is a venture to provide sports education for children in India.
When he first started playing cricket, he wanted to be a batsman. In fact, he was actually a good batsman. Then, he was sent to play under coach Ramakant Achrekar, who introduced him to the finer details of bowling. He became a batsman who could bowl a bit, and went on to perform with the bat. He scored a triple century when he was 15. Such achievements make you wonder why he became a bowler, especially when he was described as “showing signs of being another Tendulkar in the making”.
Agarkar picked up bowling out of desperation, when he was informed that strictly being a batsman limited his chances of getting selected for the Bombay team. As a result, he picked up bowling to enter as an all-rounder, and there was no looking back. He retired from cricket a legend, and with his legacy being one to learn and pick things up from.
Money matters
Ajit Agarkar’s net worth is estimated to be around $2 million (₹15 crore), as of 2020. This is from his total earnings from the BCCI from being a former player for India. This figure also includes his earnings from his playing days in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He used to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils in the tournament.
In the international format of the game, he bagged a staggering 349 wickets. He also holds another impressive record of scoring the fastest half-century in ODIs for any Indian batsman, even the likes of Tendulkar and Sehwag. He hit it in 21 balls versus Zimbabwe in 2000. These days, he can be seen offering his opinions as an analyst on cricket broadcasting channels.