"Virat Kohli should drop himself if he fails at Centurion" : Sehwag hits out at team selection

[Savak]

"Virat Kohli should drop himself if he fails at Centurion" : Sehwag hits out at team selection

Kohli Should Drop Himself if He Fails at Centurion,' Sehwag Hits Out at Team Selection

PTI | Updated: January 13, 2018, 9:15 PM IST

New Delhi: Former swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag on Saturday stated that Virat Kohli "should drop himself" if he fails in the second Test against South Africa, launching a scathing attack on the India skipper for his team selection.

Coming into the game at Centurion after suffering a 72-run defeat in the first Test, India made three changes to their playing XI with KL Rahul replacing Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma coming in for Bhuvneshwar, whose three-wicket burst in the first morning of the opening Test had rocked the hosts.

"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 Centurion, if he fails to perform in Centurion," Sehwag told 'India TV'.

The other change was wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who was ruled out due to a strain, and Parthiv Patel was included is his place.

"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," Sehwag added.

India's record of nine consecutive series victories is on the line after the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It is only the second match in India's 12-Test long overseas schedule in 2018-19, and already they are faced with a tricky situation in a bid to keep this series alive.

Link: http://www.news18.com/cricketnext/n...ehwag-hits-out-at-team-selection-1631263.html

 

[Savak]

Sunil Gavaskar Questions Team India Selection for Second Test

PTI | Updated: January 13, 2018, 5:20 PM IST

Centurion: Former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday questioned India's team selection for the second cricket Test against South Africa, saying opener Shikhar Dhawan's "head is always on the chopping board".

India made three changes to their playing XI, with KL Rahul replacing Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma coming in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose three-wicket burst in the first morning of the opening Test rocked the hosts.

Wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha was ruled out due to a strain and Parthiv Patel was included is his place. Gavaskar said: "I think Shikhar Dhawan is the 'Bali ka Bakra' (scapegoat). His head is always on the chopping board.

He just needs one bad innings and he is out of the team. "I also don't understand why Ishant came in for Bhuvneshwar when he had taken three wickets on the opening day at Cape Town. Ishant could have replaced Shami or Bumrah but leaving him out, I don't understand."

India were thrashed by 72 runs in the first Test against South Africa at Cape Town.

Virat Kohli's men had folded for 135 in their second innings while chasing 208 to win the Test.

Link: http://www.news18.com/cricketnext/n...-india-selection-for-second-test-1631175.html

 

[Chrish]

Kohli and Shastri out from their role.

Rahane and Dravid in. Kohli is KP sort of personality and will create faction if he hasn't already. And he is a terrible slip fielder but no one has balls to call him out including Shastri who only has job because of Kohli.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Rich coming from Sehwag, this was the same guy who had supported Ganguly when Guru Greg wanted him to drop himself.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Rich coming from Sehwag, this was the same guy who had supported Ganguly when Guru Greg wanted him to drop himself.

Seniors then ganged up on Greg, because he wouldn't let them get away without falling in line.

Greg wanted to end the seniority VIP treatment culture. So it's only natural guys like Laxman, Zak, Bhajji and Veeru backed up Dada. They knew he was just the start. It is no surprise Dravid took to Greg, his heart was always with the team and it's progress.

 

[Bilal7]

Rahane is a far better player than Kohli overseas. I feel so bad for the guy. This series could have turned him into a superstar.

 

[Mr.Q]

The exclusion of Bhuvi definitely raised some eyebrows. I don't get the logic behind dropping your best bowler of the series so far. Inclusion of Parthiv looks like a good move. Rahul and Rahane didn't look very convincing the last time we saw them bat. Including Rahul is a gamble which Kohli decided to take. If it works, India wont lose this test.

 

[TeymurBlake]

WAIT...... they dropped Bhuvi...... WHY, he's there best bowler and that too for Ishant, that's like dropping Hasan Ali for Wahab I mean Bhuvi is a wicket taker no matter what the pitch gives or who the opposition is.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Rahane is a far better player than Kohli overseas. I feel so bad for the guy. This series could have turned him into a superstar.

He has only himself to blame. His performances, even over last 30 innings or so are just not acceptable. It's not 'just one series'. He hasn't displayed that form for a long long time, so it's justified to exclude him for people who are playing well.

Maybe this will be the series that makes Rohit Sharma a red-ball star as well.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

WAIT...... they dropped Bhuvi...... WHY, he's there best bowler and that too for Ishant, that's like dropping Hasan Ali for Wahab I mean Bhuvi is a wicket taker no matter what the pitch gives or who the opposition is.

I can see some Test conditions where Wahab would be preferable to Hasan Ali.

 

[Sam99]

WAIT...... they dropped Bhuvi...... WHY, he's there best bowler and that too for Ishant, that's like dropping Hasan Ali for Wahab I mean Bhuvi is a wicket taker no matter what the pitch gives or who the opposition is.

really? most like 80% test matches bhuvi has played are on helpful conditions and on flat roads umesh or ishant replace him.

 

[Matlab kuch bhi]

Viru paaji at his best!

 

[shortbread]

First step towards improving bilateral relations.........exchange Wahab Riaz for Rahane.Both teams get a player that will fill a void.

Wahab Riaz is tearaway pace, the likes India has not seen. Will be a welcome addition to an army of trundlers. Pakistan seem to have no need for him.

Rahane a very capable, humble and not at all social media active cricketer. Plus an astute captain as well. Will help support Sarfaraz and safe with the bat in away conditions.

Win - Win

 

[Lefthanded]

WAIT...... they dropped Bhuvi...... WHY, he's there best bowler and that too for Ishant, that's like dropping Hasan Ali for Wahab I mean Bhuvi is a wicket taker no matter what the pitch gives or who the opposition is.

Haha I was thinking Iftikhar Ahmad, but Wahab is funny.

 

[Lefthanded]

I can see some Test conditions where Wahab would be preferable to Hasan Ali.

I think he may have meant ODI Hasan, who as you may know was the best bowler in the format last year.

 

[Rightarmfast]

WAIT...... they dropped Bhuvi...... WHY, he's there best bowler and that too for Ishant, that's like dropping Hasan Ali for Wahab I mean Bhuvi is a wicket taker no matter what the pitch gives or who the opposition is.

Lolz, you dont need an opposition to beat India when you have an Indian captain doing his best to lose

 

[Varun]

He has only himself to blame. His performances, even over last 30 innings or so are just not acceptable. It's not 'just one series'. He hasn't displayed that form for a long long time, so it's justified to exclude him for people who are playing well.

It's because those last 30 innings were played in turning conditions, which aren't his strength.

 

[Madplayer]

Rich coming from Sehwag, this was the same guy who had supported Ganguly when Guru Greg wanted him to drop himself.

They probably saw it as a firangi outsider trying to oppress their loved one. Harbhajan and sehwag are those kind of characters.

 

[Moh@n]

It's because those last 30 innings were played in turning conditions, which aren't his strength.

Turning conditions are not an Indian batsman's strength?

 

[Bilal7]

He has only himself to blame. His performances, even over last 30 innings or so are just not acceptable. It's not 'just one series'. He hasn't displayed that form for a long long time, so it's justified to exclude him for people who are playing well.

Maybe this will be the series that makes Rohit Sharma a red-ball star as well.

Rohit Sharma is a dud against the moving ball. The fact that he has actually played some tests for India is a massive achievement for a massive FTB like him.

Agreed on Rahane's form in the lead-up to this series being appalling.

 

[Shutdown Corner]

favoritism, ego...whatever it is, this will be the undoing of Kohli as a captain. I am sure Rahane is not going forgive and forget and the same with Bhuvi and anyone else who has been hard done by.

it may eventually create rifts in the side between Kohli's pets and the have-nots.

 

[James]

LOL coming from Sehwag, one of the very worst Indian legendary batters in overseas conditions and particularly in South Africa where he was always useless.

 

[Oligochaetes]

Sehwag meant that if Dhawan can be taken out after just one failure, all players in the team should be treated in the same way. If Virat fails in this test he should sit himself out as well.

Viru anyway isnt known for his diplomacy, shoots straight from the mouth, which is why media likes to get his views and create controversy.

 

[Slog]

Pretty ironic coming from Sehwag

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Kohli does seem to favour the people he likes.No one in their right mind would have selected Sharma instead of Rahane.

 

[Varun]

Turning conditions are not an Indian batsman's strength?

It seems Rahane isn't up to par with the Indian standard on them.

 

[Varun]

LOL coming from Sehwag, one of the very worst Indian legendary batters in overseas conditions and particularly in South Africa where he was always useless.

Scored a ton on debut there.

 

[gani999]

Kohli's decisions, particularly in key games and series, have always been baffling to the point of being controversial.

Roll back to the CT final. He wins the toss and gives Pakistan the batting on a belter of a pitch. He picks Ash and Jadeja when almost every expert was saying that the pitch would offer zero assistance to spinners. Needless to say, both went for 7+ runs an over.

And now, all the selection issues in this crucial series against SA. On wonder's if he is simply too full of himself and when under pressure, his arrogance and ego take hold.

And the coach, being another git with an ego as high as the Himalayas, isn't doing much good either.

 

[Slog]

Scored a ton on debut there.

His point stands regardless

And considering his record after that there and in England and New Zealand, it's safe to say you can put it down to beginners luck

 

[James]

He averaged 25 in SA, his records in England and New Zealand are pretty poor too I recall.

 

[CricketAnalyst]

Kohli's decisions, particularly in key games and series, have always been baffling to the point of being controversial.

Roll back to the CT final. He wins the toss and gives Pakistan the batting on a belter of a pitch. He picks Ash and Jadeja when almost every expert was saying that the pitch would offer zero assistance to spinners. Needless to say, both went for 7+ runs an over.

And now, all the selection issues in this crucial series against SA. On wonder's if he is simply too full of himself and when under pressure, his arrogance and ego take hold.

And the coach, being another git with an ego as high as the Himalayas, isn't doing much good either.

Just want to say chasing was the obvious call on CT final. Sarfaraz would have done it too, and the past 7 matches had been won by chasing side. Winning toss and chasing is standard in white-ball cricket.

 

[Tusker]

Just want to say chasing was the obvious call on CT final. Sarfaraz would have done it too, and the past 7 matches had been won by chasing side. Winning toss and chasing is standard in white-ball cricket.

Not in big matches. Ofcourse there will be exceptions but bating 2nd automatically adds scoreboard pressure on batsmen.

 

[Dios]

Maybe Sehwag didn't get an invite to Kohli's wedding reception? :

Not the first time Kohli's favouritism has influenced team selection. The worst was Pujara being dropped for Rohit in 2015.

That was harsh from Sehwag though. Maybe he is bitter because he wasn't considered for the role of India coach?

 

[The intelligent Supporter]

King Kohli silences everyone with his MRF as usual

 

[jnaveen1980]

Viru's comment was more to take a dig at Kohli's random selection policies rather than his batting ability. Kohli has the habit of dropping one or two players immediately after a poor performance. Kohli doesn't know where to hedge his bet. Most of his decisions are purely random. Even one that he claims that is backed by some logic doesn't make any sense. He says Ishant was preferred over Bhuvi because of bounce. From what i see Bhuvi has a decent bounce as well in addition to bowling probing spell with new ball. Same way persistence with Rohit sharma who is like a fish out of water when he is forced to play defensively is baffling. Granted Rahane has had poor run oflate. If you dig in you will find his failure is mostly against spin in spinning conditions. Against pace and bounce he was imperious last time in OZ. He is digging his own grave with weird selections.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Kohli hasn't silenced anyone. He can't. Sehwag is criticizing Kohli's idiotic selections which cost India the 1st test and possibly the 2nd test. He's giving SA weak points to target before the match even begins.

It's common sense who SA would rather bowl to. Rohit is a freaking walking wicket against test class bowlers.

 

[giri26]

Kohli's selection has been poor but again Sehwag and Gavaskar crying for dropping Dhawan does not make sense. Dhawan should not have been playing anyways. The biggest blunder is not bringing back Rahane and dropping of Bhuvi. Kohli does make some stupid decisions and again on a good batting track we are struggling to match SA's sub par first innings total. Now with no Bhuvi either, Virat needs to score at least 200 to justify all the horrible selections in this game.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Kohli's selection has been poor but again Sehwag and Gavaskar crying for dropping Dhawan does not make sense. Dhawan should not have been playing anyways. The biggest blunder is not bringing back Rahane and dropping of Bhuvi. Kohli does make some stupid decisions and again on a good batting track we are struggling to match SA's sub par first innings total. Now with no Bhuvi either, Virat needs to score at least 200 to justify all the horrible selections in this game.

Dreams unlimited, i will eat my hat if he crosses 200.

 

[giri26]

Dreams unlimited, i will eat my hat if he crosses 200.

I am not dreaming and nor did I say that he is going to score. I just said that he at least needs to score 200 to compensate for the horrible selections which has cost India a test and possibly the second one as well. His chances of scoring a 200 is minimal with the amount of batting to follow.

 

[Dingolfy]

Just want to say chasing was the obvious call on CT final. Sarfaraz would have done it too, and the past 7 matches had been won by chasing side. Winning toss and chasing is standard in white-ball cricket.

Not in a CT final and that too against a team who are not good chasers but had bowlers in great form.Kohli did a Himalayan blunder there by opting to chase.

 

[AamchiMumbaikar]

Not in a CT final and that too against a team who are not good chasers but had bowlers in great form.Kohli did a Himalayan blunder there by opting to chase.

Chill it's just CT not a world cup.

 

[Mamoon]

Just want to say chasing was the obvious call on CT final. Sarfaraz would have done it too, and the past 7 matches had been won by chasing side. Winning toss and chasing is standard in white-ball cricket.

Kohli focused on the strength of his team but not the weakness of the opposition. You have to do both.

It is unlikely that India would have collapsed the way they did without scoreboard pressure, and anything above 270 would have been very tough for Pakistan under the pressure of the final.

We couldn’t chase against India in the first game, we were heading for a jittery finish against South Africa before rain intervened, and we made a complete hash out of the Sri Lanka chase.

Against England, we were chasing a small total on a slow pitch which suited our batsmen.

It is true that Sarfraz would have bowled first, which is why Kohli winning the toss and making the wrong call was a huge factor in the result.

 

[zain7077]

Kohli focused on the strength of his team but not the weakness of the opposition. You have to do both.

It is unlikely that India would have collapsed the way they did without scoreboard pressure, and anything above 270 would have been very tough for Pakistan under the pressure of the final.

We couldn’t chase against India in the first game, we were heading for a jittery finish against South Africa before rain intervened, and we made a complete hash out of the Sri Lanka chase.

Against England, we were chasing a small total on a slow pitch which suited our batsmen.

It is true that Sarfraz would have bowled first, which is why Kohli winning the toss and making the wrong call was a huge factor in the result.

Same can be said about 2011 WC semi final?

 

[Smudger]

Same can be said about 2011 WC semi final?

The thing is the better team will win irrespective of batting 1st or 2nd . Aus won wc qf and final by chasing

 

[Mamoon]

Same can be said about 2011 WC semi final?

Maybe. The result could have been different had Dhoni opted to bowl first. However, Dhoni was a masterful ODI captain and he knew how to choke our batsmen with his spinners and part-timers. Had we batted first, we would have most probably settled for a below par total.