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Continuing to overlook senior
statesmen Virender Sehwag, Gautam
Gambhir and Zaheer Khan for the
Test tour of Australia, the Indian
selectors seemed to have sent the
final hint to the three men in the
twilight of their cricket career.
Sehwag, who last played a Test in
March 2013, has been out of favour
due to his poor form in the domestic
circuit with good knocks few and far
in between for well over a year. The
same can be said of Gambhir, though
he did make a comeback for the tour
of England earlier this year but failed
miserably.
"This was the last chance for Sehwag,
which is over now, but [Gautam]
Gambhir still has a long way to go.
There is a lot of cricket left in him,"
former India pacer Manoj Prabhakar
told a news channel.
With the World Cup a few months
away, Australia tour would have been
a great platform for the Delhi
batsmen to showcase that they still
have a lot to offer but the omission
is a clear message to India's most
successful opening partnership that
"You're done".
Sehwag, who has scored 8586 runs in
104 Test matches, including the
memorable 195 at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground in 2003 followed by
151 at Adelaide on his next tour,
could have re-opened his case before
the selectors. But his continuous flop
show in the ongoing Vijay Hazare
Trophy failed to impress the selection
committee.
Former India captain Ajit Wadekar
echoes Prabhakar's thoughts on
Sehwag. "It will be tough for him to
make a comeback. There are a
number of players for the opening
slot. [But] Many players have gone
on to play international cricket in
their 40s, so he might still come back
if he has the passion in him,"
Wadekar said.
Gambhir, too, failed to find a place
in the squad and is facing the similar
fate.
Gambhir, one of the most reliable
opener India have produced, has
opened in all the three formats of
the game. But his poor form and the
problem while facing the short ball
cost him the berth he regained during
the tour of England.
The southpaw was selected for the
England tour earlier this year after
almost a year and a half but Gambhir
failed miserably on English soil -
scoring 4, 18, 0 and 3 in four Test
innings.
The selectors have kept faith in the
in-form Shikhar Dhawan, who has
been magnificent in the ongoing ODI
series against Sri Lanka, with Murali
Vijay as the other first-choice opener.
But more importantly, by roping in
22-year-old Karnataka batsman KL
Rahul in the squad, the selectors
have sent a message to the ousted
Delhi duo.
Undoubtedly, Gambhir and Sehwag
are the best opening pair India have
ever had, especially in ODIs. But this,
sadly, seems to be the end of the
road.
On the other hand, senior pacer
Zaheer has struggled with injuries
ever since the horror tour of England
in 2011. A series of injury problems
has raised a big question mark on
Zaheer's match fitness well into the
30s, to the extent that he has been
doubted to last a full Test.
The Indian speedster missed out on
the recently concluded England tour,
though it was not clear whether the
35-year-old was injured or not
considered.
The last time India toured England in
2011, Zaheer broke down in the
second innings of the first Test and
went off the ground. Since then, the
left-arm pacer's career has been a
story of struggle.
It's hard to believe selectors will
offer a new lease of life to any of the
ageing seniors for the tri-series in
Australia before the World Cup,
considering the selection of
youngsters like Rahul and Karn
Sharma.
So curtains, is it?
Is it end of road for Sehwag, Gambhir and Zaheer?
statesmen Virender Sehwag, Gautam
Gambhir and Zaheer Khan for the
Test tour of Australia, the Indian
selectors seemed to have sent the
final hint to the three men in the
twilight of their cricket career.
Sehwag, who last played a Test in
March 2013, has been out of favour
due to his poor form in the domestic
circuit with good knocks few and far
in between for well over a year. The
same can be said of Gambhir, though
he did make a comeback for the tour
of England earlier this year but failed
miserably.
"This was the last chance for Sehwag,
which is over now, but [Gautam]
Gambhir still has a long way to go.
There is a lot of cricket left in him,"
former India pacer Manoj Prabhakar
told a news channel.
With the World Cup a few months
away, Australia tour would have been
a great platform for the Delhi
batsmen to showcase that they still
have a lot to offer but the omission
is a clear message to India's most
successful opening partnership that
"You're done".
Sehwag, who has scored 8586 runs in
104 Test matches, including the
memorable 195 at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground in 2003 followed by
151 at Adelaide on his next tour,
could have re-opened his case before
the selectors. But his continuous flop
show in the ongoing Vijay Hazare
Trophy failed to impress the selection
committee.
Former India captain Ajit Wadekar
echoes Prabhakar's thoughts on
Sehwag. "It will be tough for him to
make a comeback. There are a
number of players for the opening
slot. [But] Many players have gone
on to play international cricket in
their 40s, so he might still come back
if he has the passion in him,"
Wadekar said.
Gambhir, too, failed to find a place
in the squad and is facing the similar
fate.
Gambhir, one of the most reliable
opener India have produced, has
opened in all the three formats of
the game. But his poor form and the
problem while facing the short ball
cost him the berth he regained during
the tour of England.
The southpaw was selected for the
England tour earlier this year after
almost a year and a half but Gambhir
failed miserably on English soil -
scoring 4, 18, 0 and 3 in four Test
innings.
The selectors have kept faith in the
in-form Shikhar Dhawan, who has
been magnificent in the ongoing ODI
series against Sri Lanka, with Murali
Vijay as the other first-choice opener.
But more importantly, by roping in
22-year-old Karnataka batsman KL
Rahul in the squad, the selectors
have sent a message to the ousted
Delhi duo.
Undoubtedly, Gambhir and Sehwag
are the best opening pair India have
ever had, especially in ODIs. But this,
sadly, seems to be the end of the
road.
On the other hand, senior pacer
Zaheer has struggled with injuries
ever since the horror tour of England
in 2011. A series of injury problems
has raised a big question mark on
Zaheer's match fitness well into the
30s, to the extent that he has been
doubted to last a full Test.
The Indian speedster missed out on
the recently concluded England tour,
though it was not clear whether the
35-year-old was injured or not
considered.
The last time India toured England in
2011, Zaheer broke down in the
second innings of the first Test and
went off the ground. Since then, the
left-arm pacer's career has been a
story of struggle.
It's hard to believe selectors will
offer a new lease of life to any of the
ageing seniors for the tri-series in
Australia before the World Cup,
considering the selection of
youngsters like Rahul and Karn
Sharma.
So curtains, is it?
Is it end of road for Sehwag, Gambhir and Zaheer?
