Australian spinner Ashton Agar has been ‘released’ from the Test team touring India to play domestic cricket and has flown home, national selector Tony Dodemed said on Wednesday. Agar will play for ‘Western Australia’ in the final phase of the domestic season. Many Australian players have returned home in the middle of the tour, in which this 29-year-old left-arm spinner has also been included. Opener David Warner and fast bowler Josh Hazlewood have already returned home after being ruled out of the team due to injuries.
The Australian team has lost the first two matches of the four-match Test series against India. Dodemed said, “Agar has done the best for the team. He has done a great job. In the first Test in Nagpur, the choice between[Murphy, Agar and Swepson]was very close as to which spinner we should go with. The question was whether to field two off-spinners together or not. He said, “Matthew Kuhneman was also involved in the second test, even after that it was a very close decision. We decided that Matthew’s style would suit the conditions here. ,
Agar returned home without playing a single match, while off-spinner Todd Murphy was selected in the first Test squad over him. Although Australia fielded three spinners in the second Test, Agar was again dropped, with fellow left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhneman making his debut. The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will start in Indore from March 1. The last Test will be played in Ahmedabad from March 9.
Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson returned home ahead of the second Test in Delhi for the birth of his child and captain Pat Cummins for family reasons. But now both will join the team before the third Test starting in Indore. Agar is likely to return to India for the ODI leg of the tour in March.
