Ashton Agar became the third Australian player after David Warner and Josh Hazlewood to return home from their tour of India.
New Delhi: After David Warner and Josh Hazlewood, Ashton Agar will be the third Australian spinner to return home. Australia are currently trailing 0-2 in the four-match Test series in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Agar, wh0 was brought as a part of the spin contingent for the Tests against India, was benched in the first two games in Nagpur and Delhi. Aar will be available to play for Western Australia in Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.
While uncapped Todd Murphy was picked ahead of Agar in the first Test, Australia flew in Matthew Kuhnemann and handed him debut in the second Test. The third Test between India and Australia begins on March 1 in Indore.
However, Cricket Australia is unlikely to name any replacement for Agar. However, Agar may return to India for the ODI series that starts next month. His last Test match was against South Africa in Sydney in January.
Earlier, Agar’s omission from the first two Tests has angered former wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Coming to the spinner’s defence, Gilchrist termed Agar’s exclusion from the Australian playing XI as ‘pretty big insult’.
“Ashton Agar… there’s been murmurings that he might be on a flight home because he might feel like he’s surplus to requirements over there and I can understand why, without being in the camp and knowing the finer details of why he wasn’t picked,” Gilchrist was quoted as saying to SEN.
