Brad Hogg names Pat Cummins' successor in Test cricket: 'He reads the game well'

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg backed Steve Smith to be the permanent successor of Pat Cummins as the Test captain. Smith was the stand-in captain in the third Test in the absence of Cummins who left for Australia due to some personal reasons. Smith will lead the Australian side once again in the final and fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Bradd Hogg backs Steve Smith to be Pat Cummins' successor

Smith gave a pretty good account of himself as he led Australia to their first victory in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy. The batsman earned severe plaudits for his leadership skills and Rohit Sharma now will have to encounter him once again in Ahmedabad. Speaking on the captaincy issue, Hogg pointed out that Cummins needs to be rested in order to manage his workload in a very careful manner. 

"I think Steve Smith should be the permanent captain. Fast bowlers, you need to give them a bit of a break, especially when they are playing all three formats. Pat Cummins is going over playing in the IPL as well. His workload is going up," he said. 

"For me, I think the batters have to be captains because it is too much pressure on the fast bowlers. Yes, Pat Cummins has got away with it early on, but as time goes on, I think it's going to create a little more frustration," Hogg said on his YouTube channel.

The former spinner also explained why a batsman should get the nod ahead of a fast bowler. "We saw in the last Test match that Steve Smith has the art of captaincy."

"He reads the game well. He makes those small little changes that put pressure on the opposition batters. At the end of the day, if I look at all the great captains when they're batting, they don't see themselves as captains," he said.

"They're just out there doing their job as batters, trying to put runs on the board. But it's in the field where they make the majority of their decisions. Batters are under less pressure. Bowlers have to worry about their own bowling. Also, sometimes when you're wearing yourself out, you've got that physical pressure on you, and it affects mental thoughts as well," he added.