It's finally time. The five Test series between India and England starts tomorrow with Nottingham hosting the first game. India will look to break their barren run in England, which has seen them lose the last three Test series – 0-4 in 2011, 1-3 in 2014 and 1-4 in 2018. Many believe this is India's best chance of beating England on their soil, including former Australia spinner Brad Hogg.
While India lost the final of the World Test Championship in Southampton in June, Hogg suggests the team should be well prepared to take on the English challenge, especially having been in the UK for over a month and played a few games, including the intra-squad matches and the three-day warm-up against Select County XI.
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"The last time India went to England in 2018, they got walloped 4-1. But this is a new series. They have been over there for two months. They have played in the World Test Championship final. They have played a lot of warm up games. So, there are no excuses. They should be adjusted to these foreign conditions," Hogg said on his YouTube channel.
What gives India a strong chance of registering their first Test series win in England since 2007 is the depth in their fast-bowling department. With four top-class pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma, India's pace battery is arguably the best going around in the world. Of them, Hogg expects Shami to be the game-changer for India.
{{/usCountry}}What gives India a strong chance of registering their first Test series win in England since 2007 is the depth in their fast-bowling department. With four top-class pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma, India's pace battery is arguably the best going around in the world. Of them, Hogg expects Shami to be the game-changer for India.
{{/usCountry}}"If you look at Shami, he bowled brilliantly the last time. He was just beating the outside edge and had a couple of dropped chances. But I think Shami is going to be the bee's knees in this series. He is the one who is going to win it for India. I think he is going to have a lot more luck if he bowls like he did in the World Test championship final," Hogg added.