Ajit Agarkar fell in love with a Muslim, fought against social customs to marry the girl of his dream!

The 42-year-old faces the challenge of building a strong Indian side that can end the ten-year draught of winning an elusive ICC trophy. India last lifted an ICC title in 2013 when the Men in Blue won the Champions Trophy in England.

With the ODI World Cup 2023 three months away from now, the Men in Blue will have to build a strong side that can end up winning the trophy at home and do a repeat of 2011. Bond with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid among three reasons why Ajit Agarkar was appointed chief selector

Agarkar – who made his India debut in 1998 – is not new to challenges both on a personal and professional level. The right-arm pacer from Mumbai – who burst into the international scene with a bang – will aim to start on a positive note in an important year. Ajit Agarkar named Indian cricket team’s chief selector: Top 3 challenges for former pacer

Agarkar has faced several challenges during his international career. While his Test career didn’t span long as the speedster could only play 26 Tests (58 wickets) but he did play a sizeable number of ODI games. Ajit Agarkar appointed India’s Chairman of Selectors; Full List of Senior Men’s Selection Committee

Of 191 ODIs he played between 1998 and 2007, Agarkar picked up 288 wickets, bowled 100 maiden overs and averaged 27.85 with best figures of 6/42. He is still the fastest Indian, and third overall, to 50 ODI scalps in 23 games.

Ajit Agarkar Love Story

While he was outfoxing opposition batters with his pace and craft, Agarkar – who was an explosive batter – was stumped on the pitch of love. The Mumbaikar fell in love with his friend’s sister Fatima Ghadially, a Muslim, in 2000. The cricketer, who hailed from a Maharashtrian Brahmin family, faced a lot of backlash from the family for getting into a relationship with a girl of a different faith.

Ajit Agarkar’s Wife Fatima Ghadially

Agarkar, however, didn’t lose hope and eventually tied the knot with the partner of his choice in 2002. Fatima and Ajit are happily married for more than two decades and have a son named Raj.

Fatima, by profession, is an educationist. She is the co-founder of KA Edu Associates, a Mumbai-based sports education firm for kids. She did her schooling at Queen Mary High School, Mumbai and later pursued B.Com from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics. She did her MBA in Strategic Management and Marketing from the University of Birmingham.