"India are the favorites to take the World Test Championship in the second cycle" - Brad Hogg
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has called India the clear favorites to win the second cycle of the World Test Championship. The runners-up of the previous edition racked up their first victory of the competition after beating England by 151 runs at Lord's.
With the win, India currently have 14 points on the board. They had drawn the first Test of the series and were docked two points for slow over-rate in the same match.
Brad Hogg has claimed no other team can match India's prowess at the moment. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:
"This Indian team are going to cause a lot of havoc and they are the favorites to take the WTC in the second cycle running. I cannot see another team cracking the code of this culture right now."
India's tour of England marks their first assignment in the second cycle of the World Test Championship. The rest of their fixtures come against South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"This Lord's Test match shows me that they are the real deal" - Brad Hogg
The former left-arm chinaman lavished praise on the new brand of cricket India are playing and believes that Virat Kohli is creating a positive culture. Hogg admitted he was skeptical at first following the iconic run chase at the Gabba, but he is now on board with India's ruthless aggression and never-say-die attitude.
In this regard, Hogg said:
"What I love about this team is that they are creating a positive culture of a team that wants to go out to win every contest. It does not matter what situation they are in, they are fighters, they get themselves out of tough situations.
"Looking back at the Brisbane Test, I just thought is this a one-off or are they the real deal? Now this Lord's Test match shows me that they are the real deal. Virat Kohli is creating a fantastic culture."
The visitors' aggression has been on full display ever since they stepped on English shores. India look set to execute their first series win in England since 2007, and much like their tour in 2014, they have seized a 1-0 lead following the culmination of their first two matches.