Ajit Agarkar can recall "many" occasions when he was booed by the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium, but it was a real "eyeopener" for the former India and Mumbai pacer when it happened during the IPL while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The game he recalled is from the league's inaugural edition in 2008, where Mumbai Indians (MI) bundled out KKR for just 67 in 15.2 overs, before chasing the paltry total down inside the powerplay.
Agarkar scored 15 runs, the joint-highest for KKR that day, and conceded five runs for no wicket in the only over he got the chance to bowl.
"I was booed at Wankhede at a lot of times," said the 42-year-old on former India batsman Aakash Chopra's youtube show. "I didn't get booed there only when I was playing for Mumbai. Playing for India also I have got booed after bowling a bad over, didn't matter you are from Mumbai or not."
"But yes, IPL has changed that thing. Even Virat Kohli once said that we play for India and get booed, I think that match was played in Mumbai."
"I don't care about those things, I have got booed enough in my career. You are right but, you expect those things from some states but that was an eyeopener," he added.
"I realised that this IPL is something else and love for the franchise is different. The fan following of some franchises have increased so much that fans recognise players because of those franchises and not the nation they represent."
Chopra remembers how Agarkar was thought of as the "next Sachin Tendulkar" for his batting abilities. The former speedster said he had aspirations of becoming a specialist batsman.
"We were there and (so) was a player for Mumbai, his name was Ajit Agarkar and Sachin Tendulkar has given him pads also. Agarkar will be the next Tendulkar," said Chopra, reminiscing of an U-16 match.
In reply, Agarkar said: "actually, it started because I wanted to become a batsman. In school I used to make runs, our coach was same Ramakant Achrekar and he must have seen something in me."
"Sachin Tendulkar was by then the next big thing to come out of his coaching. Pravin Amre and many others also came before Sachin and was doing well. Many used to come out of his academy."
"I used to make good runs and that was the perception of people. Now when you play well at the age of 16 you go and play IPL but then there was a fixed step to reach the national team."
"I used to make runs and there was news going around that there might be a new batsman coming from Mumbai but at that age you think just of progressing in your game."
"Sachin gave me gloves. We were in the same school and he thought someone is performing well and so he gave me gloves. I didn't know him much then. I did not use his pad, may be I could have become a better batsman if I had used his pad," he added.
Agarkar was a wicket-taking bowler for India, bagging 288 scalps at an average of 27.9 and economy rate of 5.07 across 191 ODIs.
His 26 Test matches included a magnificent second-innings spell to help India clinch a historic Test match victory in Adelaide on the 2003-04 tour of Australia. Ajit also scored a Test match hundred at Lord's.
(Inputs from India Today)
