'No action against Agarkar for leaving'

Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association will not take any action against India discard Ajit Agarkar for returning home in a huff after being dropped from the Mumbai team for the Ranji Trophy Elite match against Orissa at Cuttack as he had taken permission to do so.

"No action is being contemplated against Agarkar who sought my permission to return home yesterday and I, in turn, asked Mumbai selection panel chairman (Milind Rege). Rege felt Ajit did not feel comfortable sitting in the reserves and can be permitted," MCA joint secretary Nitin Dalal told PTI.

Agarkar, who had returned to the Mumbai squad for the previous game against Karnataka after missing the first two ties due to injury, was left out after the team management decided to include Avishkar Salvi and Dhawal Kulkarni as the support seamers for Zaheer Khan, who is testing his match fitness ahead of the tour to Australia.

Ajit Agarkar returned home in a huff after being dropped from the Mumbai team for their Ranji Trophy match.

"Agarkar was feeling humiliated after he was dropped for the match by the team management. He was an India player and we felt it would be better if he is allowed to return home instead of staying back with the team," Dalal added.

Dalal also said the MCA officials will ask the team management and Agarkar to sit together with them and thrash out the differences after the squad returns.

"We will sit with them and discuss the issue. He is available for selection for the next match (against Saurashtra at Rajkot from December 6-9)."

Mumbai selection panel chairman Rege said the committee will meet on Saturday to pick the team for the clash against Saurashtra.

The former Mumbai captain and off-spinner also sounded upset about the comments reportedly made by Zaheer Khan that he and team coach Sulakshan Kulkarni were "bringing down Mumbai cricket."

Asked for his reaction, Rege said, "It's for the MCA to ask Zaheer Khan what he meant by that statement that I am bringing down Mumbai cricket. I am doing my job as a selector. I don't want to react further."

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