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Should Sehwag be dropped from the Test team?
Virender Sehwag is living on borrowed time. While the rest of the Indian batsmen were plundering runs against the inexperienced Australian bowling, the dashing opener had three straight failures.
His Delhi team mate Gautam Gambhir was given the axe ahead of the series after a poor recent showing and it looks likely that even Sehwag might suffer the same fate.
- Is it the beginning of the end of Zaheer Khan's career?
The national selectors will pick the Indian squad for the last two Tests, in Mohali and Delhi respectively, on Thursday, and, without doubt, Sehwag's poor recent run is going to be debated long and hard.
The worst phase of Sehwag's career
Sehwag started the season with a sparkling 117 against England in the first Test in Ahmedabad in November but since then there's a steady decline.
His scores since that century read: 25, 30, 9, 23, 49, 0, 2, 19 and 6. Despite batting with spectacles in the ongoing series it seems he is staring at the worst phase of his career.
Sehwag has been bowled five times in his last ten innings
The most fascinating aspect about Sehwag's batting is that when he fires all his failures at the crease are forgotten. However, when the runs dry up, the general flaws in his batting, like technique and lack of footwork, surface.
While bowlers worldwide now come better equipped to counter Sehwag's flamboyance, the veteran opener has struggled to find ways to adapt to the challenge.
It is not surprising that he was bowled five times in his last ten innings, and all of them were in India, where fast bowlers don't pose much of a threat as compared to overseas.
Selectors ready to take tough decisions
The selection panel, under Sandeep Patil, has shown that it is ready to take tough decisions as was proved by the recent axing of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir.
Sehwag has already been dropped from the ODI team and a Test axing will certainly bring him closer to the end of his career.
Having already secured an assailable 2-0 lead against Australia, shouldn't the selectors be looking to get in place a sound opening combination, what with a tough tour of South Africa scheduled later in the year?
What's your take? Have your say!