"I think you have got to favor Australia 3-2 at least" - Brad Hogg backs the hosts to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a decade
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels Pat Cummins and company are favorites to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, primarily due to the prowess and experience of their potent pace attack. The five-match Test series is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 22, with the Optus Stadium in Perth playing host to the first Test.
Australia have their reliable bowling quartet ready, and although workload management may come into play sometime during the lengthy series, the hosts are equipped with reliable names on the bench. Regarding their batting order, their only concern was to find a new opening batter after Steve Smith returned to No. 4 following Cameron Green's injury.
Australia look like a much more settled unit on their home turf than India grappling with several issues. The lack of form of some players, the unavailability of their captain for the series opener, and a late injury to Shubman Gill are just a few of the woes troubling the visitors.
"I think you have got to favour Australia 3-2 at least because we are playing Perth, in Brisbane, then Adelaide with the night-ball test. I just think with our pace attack now, with the experience they have, the knowledge of Australian conditions, they should get on top with a more experienced pace attack," Hogg told RevSportz in an interview.
Australia last won a Test series against India in 2014-15, winning the four-match rubber on home soil by a 2-0 margin.
"I think both Ashwin and Jadeja should play" - Brad Hogg on Team India's bowling combination
The Men in Blue have usually trusted their combination of three frontline pacers, one seam-bowling all-rounder, and a spinner in overseas conditions. This dynamic has given them balance and depth and has brought them a lot of success. In the past, Shardul Thakur donned the role at No. 8 and had the task of bowling short bursts to relieve the pacers on occasions.
However, this time, India are devoid of such an option, with the uncapped Nitish Kumar Reddy as the sole candidate who could take on such a role. A green top in Perth has led to a near-unanimous call for only a sole spinner to be played. But Hogg feels that India could benefit from the experience and versatility of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
"I think both Ashwin and Jadeja should play. Jadeja is very good in the first innings, I think with the ball skidding on over here with the greener wickets, but as the wicket wears down, this is where Ashwin comes into it, so they have got two spinners that are unique in a sense that they are going to give the team benefit on the different days of the Test match," Hogg added in the same interaction.
Ashwin has been reported to make it to the playing XI, keeping the number of left-handed batters that Australia boasts. Emphasizing match-ups, India had employed a similar tactic to bring in Washington Sundar midway through the recent home series against New Zealand.