Virender Sehwag unhappy with Virat Kohli dropping Mayank Agarwal after just 2 ODIs?

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag is part of the commentary panel for the ongoing limited-overs series between India and hosts Australia. On Wednesday, December 2, i.e. during the India vs Australia 3rd ODI, the cricketer-turned-commentator criticised the Indian team selection for the match. While commentating alongside Harsha Bhogle for the Sony Sports Network, Virender Sehwag questioned Shubman Gill’s selection in the team over Mayank Agarwal.  

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Virender Sehwag questions Indian selection during India vs Australia 3rd ODI?

Mayank Agarwal, who opened for the ‘Men in Blue’ in the first two ODIs alongside Shikhar Dhawan, was dropped from the playing XI for the ongoing India vs Australia 3rd ODI. Prodigious young batting talent Shubman Gill was given the rope instead as he faced the new ball in the dead rubber against the hosts at Canberra’s Manuka Oval. The right-handed batsman scored 33 runs from 39 balls and formed a 56-run second-wicket stand with skipper Virat Kohli before losing his wicket to Ashton Agar.

During commentary, Virender Sehwag questioned the omission of in-form batsman Mayank Agarwal from the side despite having just played 2 matches. Regarding Agarwal’s exclusion, the 2011 World Cup-winner said such selection tactics should be applied for everyone in the team.

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Virender Sehwag also said that if Shubman Gill was given a playing opportunity for him to gain experience, the youngster could have still learned a lot on the tour from his senior teammates in the side by being on the bench, helping and conversing with them about the game. 

Interestingly, the former Indian cricketer had also similarly criticised the then chief selector Sandeep Patil back in 2013 when Sehwag himself was dropped by the selection committee for the home series against Australia early that year after failures in his last 10 innings. On a talk show Aap Ki Adalat, Sehwag opined that if the then captain MS Dhoni was not dropped despite his failures during that period, then why are players of different levels differentiated in terms of being judged by successes and failures over a short span of time.

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India vs Australia 3rd ODI live updates

Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat at a high-scoring Canberra venue. At the time of publishing, the ‘Men in Blue’ had posted 302-5 from their allotted 50 overs. Captain Virat Kohli himself scored 63 of those runs and breached the 12,000-run mark in ODIs in the process. All-rounders Hardik Pandya (92*) and Ravindra Jadeja (66*) provided finishing touches for the visitors with some late batting onslaught, as the duo staged an unbeaten 150-run stand off just 108 balls.

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Image source: Virender Sehwag and BCCI Instagram