Gautam Gambhir Questions Mayank Agarwal's Exclusion From Test Squad

Veteran India batsman Gautam Gambhir has questioned the selectors’ decision to drop Mayank Agarwal from the Test squad for the Australia series.

Agarwal broke into the Indian team after a sensational 2017-18 domestic season. He amassed 1160 runs in 13 innings of the Ranji Trophy. In November 2017, he scored his maiden triple century in first-class cricket.

He followed it up by amassing 723 runs in 8 matches at a staggering average of 90.37 in the 2017-18 season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He thus became the highest run-getter in one season of the tournament. The record for the most runs in a List-A tournament was previously held by Sachin Tendulkar who scored 673 runs in the 2003 ICC World Cup.

When the 2017-18 season ended, Agarwal had the most number of runs across all formats. He scored 2,141 runs across all formats in 2017-18. In June 2018, he was awarded with the Madhavrao Scindia Award For The Highest Run-Scorer In Ranji Trophy by the BCCI.

He also impressed for India A which paved the way for his maiden Test call-up. Agarwal received his maiden India call-up for the series against West Indies at home. However, he did not get a chance to play in either of the two-Test series. And shockingly, the selectors dropped him for the upcoming Test series against Australia.

Just like many, Gautam Gambhir is also baffled by the turn of events as he called Agarwal’s exclusion unfortunate.

“The most unfortunate one is someone like Mayank Agarwal who had scored so many runs in domestic cricket. If you had selected him for the West Indies series and then without given him the opportunity you drop him for the Australia tour. Then you are telling everyone including him that you are only good in subcontinent conditions and not for Australian conditions. I think that is very unfortunate,” Gambhir said.

“Also, if you wanted to take Murali Vijay in the Australia series, then he shouldn’t have been dropped from England series. And if you had dropped him from the playing XI, Vijay should have been taken for the West Indies series. You did not keep him in the West Indies series, and had Mayank Agarwal instead. Now you have brought back Murali Vijay and sent Mayank with India A. This is very unfortunate for a young player. If you are a good player you are good in every condition. So I feel selectors should bring about a clarity and stop playing musical chair with players,” he added.

Agarwal, meanwhile, also impressed for India A in the unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. The right-hander scored 149 runs in three innings at an average of 49.67.