Virender Sehwag pulls out of Irani Cup match due to illness

Rest of India captain and Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag has pulled out of the Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, which got underway at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai this morning.

File Photo: Virender Sehwag

Sehwag, whose appointment as Rest of India captain for the Irani Cup match was seen as a lifeline of sorts after the swashbuckling opener was omitted from the Indian team for the recently concluded five-match one-day series against England, which the hosts won 3-2.

The Najafgarh Bomber pulled out of the Irani Cup because he was down with a stomach upset, prompting the Rest of India team management to elevate off-spinner Harbhajan Singh as ROI captain.

Sehwag surely has missed out on vital match practice ahead of the four-match Test series against Australia beginning on February 22.

The first Test will be staged at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai, while the second Test will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from March 2-6. The third Test will be held at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali from March 14-18 and the fourth Test will be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi from March 22-26.

Meanwhile, Mumbai are led by Abhishek Nayar for the first time and he had no hesitation in asking Rest of India to bat first after he saw the flip of the coin fall in his favour.