The 26-year-old from Melbourne, Victoria, was hailed as a wonder-kid, and he made his Australian debut at just the age of 19 after being picked for the 2013 Ashes away from home. Despite the gigantic presence of Australia’s No.1 spinner Nathan Lyon, the selectors went ahead to give the youngster from Victoria his Baggy Green. But, that was the first of his opportunities in the biggest stage of world cricket - Test cricket - where he was picked ahead of the likes of Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Hauritz for the tour. His role was clear as daylight - being the support bowler to the four-man pace Australian pace attack in Nottingham, a place which isn’t the most friendly to any spinner. 

However, since then, his stocks fell down the order as they went up for the other spinners - Mitchell Swepson with the red-ball and Adam Zampa with the white. And when he made an appearance in 2017 against Bangladesh, his role was reduced to being the third spinner in the setup from being the first choice in 2013. Meanwhile, during the same period, Ravindra Jadeja made a name for himself in the Indian Test setup, after his exploits as a batting all-rounder with two triple-centuries in the same calendar year for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy. 

His white-ball form was one of the boosting factors in Jadeja making himself as one of the real threats in the Indian outfit. Before the Australian series in 2013, the Saurashtra spinner had just played one Test match for the country, where he picked up three wickets. However, prior to that, in the blue jersey, he had picked up 70 wickets in just the 50-over format, where his confidence was boosted highly, which made his transition in red-ball relatively easier. 

Surprisingly or not, Agar, too, has now started to make a name for himself with the white-ball, picking up 17 wickets in the 12 appearances post the apocalyptic 2019 World Cup. His form has seen a major rise, including his world-class performance against South Africa earlier in the year before the COVID-19 break, which stopped cricketing action abruptly. However, the twist to this fairytale story would be that the 26-year-old’s form was not the best of in the 2019-20 Sheffield Shield season where he transformed himself into more of a batting all-rounder role. However, something that triumphs everything in this context and works in Agar's favour is the left-arm spinner’s experience in the national team, with the red-ball, having already played earlier in the sub-continent against Bangladesh. 

Looking at world cricket, the Australian all-rounder could have picked any of the top-spinners around the world, including legends of the past, to replicate but he chose Jadeja. That clearly also remains the answer to his opportunities in the Australian setup, where he will have to transform himself on the model-case set by Ravindra Jadeja during his early years with the Indian team. Bowling on Rajkot pitches, the left-arm spinner made a name for himself, where conditions are starkly contrasting to what Agar has to deal with day in and day out, but the Western Australian sure could take a leaf out of Jadeja's book in terms of the quirky Indian's approach and mindset.

But, in all fairness, never before has the Western Australian man got himself the chance to prove his mettle - with either bat or ball, in red-ball cricket - with him hardly being the support-cast of a three-man spin attack. And, more recently, to make things worse, his stocks have fallen down the ranks because of his bowling performance in the Shield. However, given the fact that Australia would only opt for a two-man spin attack away from home, in the sub-continent, it would give a significant edge to Agar, for, in the sub-continent, the left-armer has not only fared well but also has the accolade of thriving against the best batting side in the world, India, albeit being in a different format. In that particular series, versus the Indians, with his tail up, Agar made the Indian batsman dance to his tunes, swaying most of the balls away from the right-hander whilst unexpectedly darting the odd one in. A Jadeja-esque bowling performance, if there ever was one. Agar's experience, too, would add significant value to Australian cricket, with only a bunch of experienced spinners around the scene at the moment.

While he has taken 140 wickets in the first-class scene, there's little chance of his numbers in Tests leapfrogging that, given he would be playing only in the sub-continent, but he could prove to be an invaluable tool. Alongside his batting lower down the order, the immediate Test future for the Kangaroos would be set in stone. But, as usual, the precedent lies in the hands of the left-arm spinner, who could be handy and more than handy in the sub-continent in the absence of the notable Steve O’Keefe.