India146;s comeback veteran

It8217;s upto Agarkar to lend experience to the glamour brigade

Ajit Agarkar8217;s status as a senior in the Indian cricket team may not guarantee him a place in the starting blocks for the one-dayers, but the wiry paceman is ready with a plan to counter the West Indies batsmen.

Aware that the Caribbean conditions were not exactly conducive to fast bowling, Agarkar8217;s gameplan will largely revolve around keeping the run rate in check.

8220;The last time I played here the wickets were slow and not conducive to fast bowling. If that still is the case, then I would like to restrict the rate of scoring,8221; he said after the team8217;s practice session.

8220;I also have bowled to most of the West Indian batsmen and have a fair idea how to bowl to them,8221; said Agarkar, in apparent haste after the morning practice session as the side made a rush to catch the chartered flight for Montego Bay where the tour opener against a local eleven is scheduled.

Agarkar played his first match in 1998 when Mohammed Azharuddin was the captain and the likes of Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh were two years away from being heard on Indian circuit.

After a roller-coaster career where he was first seen as record wicket-taker, then an all-rounder of fine promise, Agarkar now sets his sight no higher than a regular place in the one-day squad.

Agarkar put up a positive front when asked how difficult it was to play on pitches and conditions different from home. 8220;You need to adjust to different conditions and grounds even if there has not been enough time to acclimatise. That is part and parcel of the game. I also don8217;t see heat and humidity as any different to what we experience at home,8221; Agarkar said.

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Agarkar8217;s experience could be of vital importance to a young brigade, though his background extends to no more than three ODIs in the Caribbean. 8220;I now understand that as a senior member of the side, it is my duty to guide the younger fast bowling brigade of the team. I try to pass on my experience as much as I can,8221; he said.

Agarkar might not be playing in every ODI that India play here, but he is pencilled into every Indian team chosen for a one-day series, and that itself is a huge step for this intense young man.

On the composition of the squad, he said: 8220;Once we are through with the practice game, we will sit down and take stock of what8217;s the best option for the first ODI at Sabina Park on Thursday,8221; he said.