Despite Ajit Agarkar leaving Mumbai's Ranji team midway through their Super League tie against Orissa, the senior bowler has the support of most of his teammates. Though most of them understandably don't want to be vocal about it, India's pace spearhead Zaheer Khan stood firmly behind his teammate on Tuesday.
"I am very disappointed with the manner in which the whole situation has been handled. A player of Ajit's stature - who has played for so many years for Mumbai and India and who has over 300 international wickets - certainly doesn't deserve all this," Zaheer, who is making a comeback to first-class cricket after a four-month injury hiatus, told HT.
"Not only him, but any cricketer who has served Mumbai cricket for so long should be handled carefully. I am sure he could have been communicated in a better manner."
"Certain people are pulling Mumbai cricket back," Zaheer said. "The coach (Sulakshan Kulkarni) and the chairman of selectors (Milind Rege) can take more responsibility while handling such situations. When you play for so long at the highest level, there is a certain dignity associated with you. Such matters have to be dealt with in a dignified manner."
Well, with a renowned and respectable player like Zaheer standing firmly behind his teammate, the likelihood of a disciplinary action against Agarkar reduces a lot. Or, will it be that both Agarkar and Zaheer are show-caused by the men who run the show?
{{/usCountry}}Well, with a renowned and respectable player like Zaheer standing firmly behind his teammate, the likelihood of a disciplinary action against Agarkar reduces a lot. Or, will it be that both Agarkar and Zaheer are show-caused by the men who run the show?
{{/usCountry}}Watch this space.