SA v IND 2018: Virender Sehwag slams Virat Kohli and asks him to drop himself

India made three changes to their playing XI in the second Test.

Sehwag wants Kohli to drop himself if he fails to perform in the Centurion Test | AFP

After India’s bizarre team selection in the second Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park Centurion, former India opener Virender Sehwag has stated that Virat Kohli should drop himself if he fails to perform in this match.

Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who scalped 6-wicket haul besides scoring 25 and 13* in the two innings of Cape Town Test, was astonishingly snubbed from the playing XI of second Test on Saturday (January 13).

Bhuvneshwar got replaced the lanky speedster Ishant Sharma. India made three changes to their playing XI in the second Test, with KL Rahul replacing Shikhar Dhawan and wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha making way for Parthiv Patel being the other two.

"Watching Virat Kohli excluding Shikhar Dhawan for just one Test failure, and Bhuvneshwar for no reason at all, Kohli should drop himself in the third Test at Johannesburg, if he fails to perform in Centurion," Sehwag was quoted by India TV as saying.

"Excluding Bhuvneshwar wasn't the right decision. Citing that Ishant might benefit with his height, Virat Kohli has hurt Bhuvneshwar Kumar's self-confidence.

"They could have played Ishant in place of any other bowler. Bhuvneshwar performed well in Cape Town and excluding him like this isn't justified," Viru further added.

Dropping Bhuvneshwar was a bit extreme given the way he unleashed havoc on the Proteas batsmen with his fiery spell (4 for 87) in the first innings of Newlands Test. The decision of India’s team management certainly took the cricketing fraternity by storm, as some of the renowned cricket journalists and former cricketers criticized the move.

The third and final Test between India and South Africa will start on January 24 at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. Following the three-match Test series, Team India are scheduled to play six ODIs and three ODIs against the Proteas.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 14 Jan, 2018

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