How many consecutive ducks are too many ducks? One. Two. Anything more is no less than an embarrassment!
So batters would prefer to get out in single digits rather than on zero. But here we have Ajit Agarkar, who couldn’t break past zero in five consecutive Test innings! Yes, that’s five back-to-back ducks.
Here’s how Agarkar bagged the most unwanted record.
A Newbie on the Block
Agarkar was one Test match old when he first toured Australia in 1999/2000. So he was new to the Australian conditions. And so did he face the Australian bowlers for the first time.
The Australian pace attack comprised Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, and Brett Lee. Some intimidating lineup that!
They got rid of many experienced batters in their careers. So, Agarkar was perhaps the easiest to work over.
The Streak Begins
For starters, Agarkar was primarily a fast bowler. But he could lend a decent hand lower down the order with the bat.
Agarkar had batted twice going into the first Test against Australia in Adelaide. In both innings, he was out in single digits.
But his third outing saw him go into the double digits for the first time. He gritted out 19 runs off 69 balls as India were all out for 285 in the second innings.
But Agarkar’s defiance wasn’t visible in the fourth innings at all. Fleming dismissed him on the very first ball – the first of his five consecutive ducks.
This wouldn’t have pinched him hard. Even VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar were out on zero as India folded for 110.
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Agarkar Bags a King Pair
Things spiralled in the Melbourne Test for Agarkar, though. With the ball, he picked up six wickets across both innings.
But he just walked in and out with the bat. In the first innings, debutant Lee trapped Agarkar LBW out on the first ball. In the second essay, Mark Waugh dismissed him on the first delivery.
And Agarkar became the second Indian to bag a king pair in Tests – out on zero on the first ball in both innings.
Agarkar Goes into Record Books
Agarkar’s bad luck followed him in the third and last Test. Lee had him one more time on a golden duck in the first innings.
In the second dig, Agarkar somehow avoided another king pair. But luck ran out quickly.
He edged a catch to Adam Gilchrist on McGrath’s bowling to score a two-ball duck. And that saw him get into the record books.
Agarkar became the second batter to score five consecutive Test ducks after Australia’s Bob Holland.
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