"India are going to take the Test series away easily" - Brad Hogg shares his prediction for IND vs NZ 2024 Test series
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes that Team India have the upper hand in their upcoming three-match home Test series against New Zealand. He opined that the Blackcaps batters' fragility against spin bowlers would allow the Men in Blue to dominate the proceedings.
New Zealand were whitewashed in their two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka last month. Expecting a similar result against India, here's what Hogg said in a video shared on his YouTube channel:
"The way New Zealand played in Sri Lanka, I don't think they'd be able to turn things around and really fix their deficiencies batting against spin. And that's where India are going to take the Test series away easily."
Speaking about New Zealand's squad for the India series, Hogg picked pacers William O'Rourke and Ben Sears as players to watch out for, adding:
"William O'Rourke, he is a fast bowler, he just comes in ball after ball, not trying to bowl with sheer pace, has got a big heart, an he doesn't give in. And Ben Sears, I hope he gets a go because he is a tall, quick bowler and I just think he can add a little bit of variety against India just with the extra height, hopefully getting a little bit of extra bounce there."
It is worth mentioning that New Zealand have a dismal record in India. They have just two wins to their name on Indian soil in 36 Test matches. The Test series opener between the two sides is set to kick off in Bengaluru on Wednesday, October 16.
"They are starting to raise the bar ahead of other teams around the globe" - Brad Hogg on Team India
Brad Hogg also lauded India for their 3-0 T20I series whitewash over Bangladesh. He suggested that while Bangladesh aren't an easy team to beat in T20Is, they had no chance of beating India.
Praising skipper Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir for their approach, Hogg said in the aforementioned video:
"There was no way that Bangladesh were going to win this T20 series. India are coming out, they are playing aggressive brand of T20 cricket. They want to take the game on. They are starting to raise the bar ahead of other teams around the globe. Yes, they did win the T20 World Cup, but they have moved forward and they are looking at to try and change the brand of cricket under Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav moving forward, and it's looking brilliant. Bangladesh, in T20 cricket, are no easy-beats, and India just blew them apart."
It is worth mentioning that India registered 297/6 in 20 overs in the third and final T20I against Bangladesh, which is the second-highest team total in men's T20I history.