Team India’s legendary batter Virat Kohli led India to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2008. In the final of that tournament, the player who won the Player of the Match award, Ajitesh Argal, suddenly faded into obscurity after drifting away from cricket. However, Ajitesh has now made a comeback in the Women’s Premier League (WPL)—this time as an umpire.
It is worth noting that in the Under-19 World Cup final against South Africa, Ajitesh Argal played a crucial role in India’s victory by taking two important wickets, emerging as one of the heroes of the final. After that performance, it was expected that he would soon earn a place in the Indian senior team, but that never happened.
Following his Under-19 World Cup success, Ajitesh was picked by Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. However, he did not get a chance to play a single IPL match. At the domestic level, he represented the Baroda team. Over the course of his career, he played 10 first-class matches, 6 T20 matches, and 3 List-A matches, taking a total of 29 wickets. He played his last professional match in 2015.
After retiring from cricket, Ajitesh cleared his umpiring exams in 2023. Since then, he has been working on the field as a referee and umpire. So far, he has officiated in 3 first-class matches, 9 List-A matches, and 21 T20 matches.
