Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg feels India would struggle without star quick Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi, which begins on Friday.
Bumrah has taken the most wickets in the series thus far, with 17 scalps. He also won the Player of the Match award at Visakhapatnam for producing reverse swing in ideal batting conditions.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Brad Hogg discussed how Jasprit Bumrah’s absence may effect the hosts:
“Bumrah not playing the next match is obviously going to play in the hands of England. Getting a bit of reverse swing, he is probably the best fast bowler in this Test series. It is going to cause India some problems going into the next game. It is going to put a lot of pressure on Siraj.”
Brad Hogg
Hogg, however, understood why India chose to rest Jasprit Bumrah, adding:
“You have to manage his workload. As a fast bowler, playing all three formats is the toughest thing in cricket. You need to preserve him for the T20 World Cup around the corner. Mumbai Indians need him too in the IPL. If they miss him, they won’t be doing well either.”
Brad Hogg
Mohammed Siraj bowled a brilliant performance in the first innings of the Rajkot Test, taking four wickets and helping India build a big lead. Brad Hogg feels Siraj is mature enough to lead the bowling assault.
“I am loving the way Rohit Sharma is captaining this team” – Brad Hogg
Brad Hogg also praised Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for the way he led his men in Rajkot. Hogg described how Rohit vexed the English batsmen with in-out fields and forced errors.
He said:
“I am loving the way Rohit Sharma is captaining this team against England. I like the way he is backing his bowlers. Yes England are going hard against the bowlers, but you got to show the courage to set the right fields and give your bowlers the best chance of picking wickets.”
Brad Hogg
England has made two changes to its squad for the Ranchi Test, with Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir replacing Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed. It would be intriguing to watch whether India selects an extra spinner in lieu of Bumrah, trusts Mukesh Kumar, or gives Akash Deep his debut.