Ajit Agarkar fastest ODI fifty record: Not only a wicket taker bowler…this Indian player was also a match winning batsman, even Sachin-Sehwag could not break the batting record

New Delhi. When Ajit Agarkar came out to bat, no one thought that a bowler would break Kapil Dev’s 17-year-old record. That half-century scored in just 21 balls is still the fastest ‘fifty’ in Indian ODI history, which came like a storm against Zimbabwe in Rajkot in the afternoon. Agarkar, the current Chief Selector of BCCI, was known for his fast bowling. He also used to bat aggressively in the middle order. Even batsmen like veteran Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli could not break Agarkar’s record. This record of his, made 25 years ago, is still unbreakable.

In the year 2000, Zimbabwe team was on India tour. The fifth and last ODI of the series was being played in Rajkot. Captain Sourav Ganguly was not playing in that match and the command was in the hands of Rahul Dravid. India lost the toss and started batting first, but the team had a very bad start. Sachin Tendulkar (27) and Rahul Dravid (6) returned to the pavilion early. Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag also could not do anything special. Hemang Badani (77) was standing at one end, but India’s score till the 44th over was 216 runs for 6 wickets. It seemed that the team would be able to reach only 250-260. Then Ajit Agarkar came to bat at number eight. He made his intentions clear as soon as he came to the crease. He attacked Zimbabwe’s bowlers, especially Brian Strang and Mluleki Nkala. His batting had the aggression of today’s T20 era. He hit shots all around the field.

Ajit Agarkar had made a big record in batting by coming in at number eight.

Completed half century in 21 balls

Ajit Agarkar completed his half-century in just 21 balls. With this he broke the record of the great Kapil Dev, who had scored a half-century in 22 balls against the West Indies in 1983. Agarkar played a total of 25 balls and scored 67 unbeaten runs. In this short but destructive innings, he hit 7 fours and 4 skyscraper sixes. Thanks to his innings, India scored a huge score of 301 runs in 50 overs.

After batting, Agarkar also showed his strength in bowling.

Ajit Agarkar not only shone with the bat that day, but he also performed brilliantly in his main role (bowling). He took 3 important wickets for Zimbabwe. India won the match by 39 runs and Agarkar was chosen ‘Man of the Match’ for his all-round performance.

Agarkar’s record is unbroken even today

Indian cricket has seen many big hitters in the last two decades. Rahul Dravid scored half-centuries in 22 balls (2003), Yuvraj Singh in 22 balls (2004) and Virender Sehwag also scored half-centuries in 22 balls (2001), but no one could cross Agarkar’s magical figure of 21 balls. That innings in Rajkot is still a testimony to the fact that Agarkar was not only a wicket-taking bowler but also a ‘match-winning’ batsman.