'Big insult' - Adam Gilchrist expresses concerns over Ashton Agar's absence from Australian team

Former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist has expressed displeasure over treatment of Ashton Agar by the Australian management in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. India have taken a 2-0 lead in the series and have retained the coveted Trophy, while Australia have been at the receiving end of all the criticism, especially with regards to their team selection and handling of players. 

The former wicketkeeper-batter did not mince his words and said that he feels sorry for the ill-treatment of Agar, who has not been included in the team so far. For the unversed, Agar was one of the four spinners named in Australia's 18-member squad for the four-match Test series alongside Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy.

With Swepson heading home for personal reasons before the second Test, it was believed that Agar would be the obvious choice to partner Lyon. However, after handing a debut cap to young spinner Todd Murphy in the first Test in Nagpur, Australia called in Matt Kuhnemann from Australia as he made his debut in Delhi.

Gilchrist said that Agar might be heading home not because of any injury or any other reason, but because of feeling unwanted in the team.

“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," the 51-year-old said while speaking to SEN WA Mornings.

"But it’s a pretty big insult that I know from touring and being on a lot of tours, you felt that if you’re picked on the tour in a broader squad - unless it’s a pretty extreme like for like that has to come in - you generally expected the guys that were first reserves to step in,” he added.

India and Australia will played the next encounter of the series from March 1 in Indore.

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