Published 15:59 IST, July 5th 2020
Brad Hogg believes 'at the moment' Pakistan can beat Kohli & Co. in India, explains why
Brad Hogg reasoned that Pakistan at the moment have a strong pace unit, have got some good spinners and depth in batting to beat Indian in home conditions
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Ever since Virat Kohli has taken over the reins of Team India captaincy, the Men in Blue have been near to unbeatable at home. Virat Kohli & Co have tasted immense success in the longest format of the game, winning 12 straight Test series at home, topping the World Test Championship table and achieving similar success in ODIs as well. The aggressive nature of Kohli on the field has rubbed onto the Men in Blue as well.
'They know Indian conditions well'
However, when it came to choosing the team that would give Team India a tough fight and also have a chance of defeating the Men in Blue in India, former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg picked Pakistan to be the one. Hogg reasoned that the Men in Green at the moment have a strong pace unit and have got some good spinners as well. Apart from a well-furnished bowling unit, Hogg opined that Pakistan has depth in their batting and also knows the 'Indian conditions' well. However, the Australian highlighted that since the two countries do not play bilateral matches anymore, his next best pick would be Australia.
Speaking in a video for his YouTube channel, Hogg said, "The next best team is Australia and I am not being biased. We have got the likes of [David] Warner, [Marnus] Labuschagne and Steve Smith. We have got a very potent batting line-up as well as bowling line-up. I think if there is any chance of us beating India on Indian soil right now, it’s going to be over the next couple of year."
Hogg calls for India-Pak series
With the Coronavirus outbreak, Hogg had earlier called for the ongoing World Test Championship to be cancelled. Hogg also suggested to cancel India's Test series against Australia later this year and play the Ashes series instead. India is to tour Australia for a Test series during October-November.
The Australian spinner suggested a four-match series during the Christmas period - two matches in Pakistan and two in India. “We have not seen it (Indo-Pak Test series) for a while and the public is starving for it,” he added. India and Pakistan last played a bilateral series in 2008 and since then have encountered each other only in ICC events and the Asia Cup.
15:59 IST, July 5th 2020