Ashwin-Jadeja best spin duo at the moment, says Brad Hogg

02/15/2017

Brad Hogg believes that R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are the best spin duo in the cricket world at the moment and chose their relentlessness and intensity as the reason for their success. Hogg also has some advice for the visiting Aussie spinners - bowl a bit quicker than they would in Australia.

In a chat with the TOI on Tuesday, Brad Hogg called the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja the best in the world at the moment.

"Ashwin and Jadeja are probably the best spin duo in world at the moment. Ashwin has got the height and uses it to get the bounce and his line and lengths are always spot on. Jadeja, on most conditions, is lethal because he doesn't give much away. One key factor in the success of the duo is that they are relentless and their intensity never goes down over prolonged periods. Even when things aren't going their way, the two find their way to get wickets. The way they are bowling at home, those are conditions that are conducive to their type of bowling," Hogg said.

The 46-year old also hoped that the Australian batsmen have done their homework ahead of their India tour after previous failures in the subcontinent.

"I hope the series is well-fought and exciting. I hope Australia adapt to the Indian conditions fast. Our batsmen have struggled against spin the two occasions we were there. Hopefully they have done their homework in the UAE and worked hard on turning pitches and are able to play well against this high-quality Indian attack.

"The good thing about this Australian team is that we have players who have played in Indian conditions. We have a couple of guys who have played there during the Australia 'A' tour in 2015 and some have been part of the IPL too. After playing the IPL they can now gauge the wickets, the way it behaves and those things do come handy. Also, some of our spinners spent time in Sri Lanka last year and I think that's a good grounding for them," he said.

Hogg also believes that spinner Steve O'Keefe would have a significant role to play in the upcoming series.

"I feel he bowls a lot like Jadeja, and could be someone who could be a handful against the Indian team. If you watched the India-Bangladesh Test in Hyderabad, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam bowled well and did trouble Virat Kohli's side. I think O'Keefe is probably is our best bet (spin-wise) against this Indian line-up. He is a left-arm spinner and if you look at the top-7 of the Indian order - they all are right-hand batsmen. So, if he can bowl like Taijul, attack the stumps, then he would be the most dangerous weapon among our spinners," he said.

Hogg advised the Aussie spinners to bowl quicker on the Indian wickets and said, "In India, you need to bowl a little bit quicker than what we are used to on Australian wickets. So, I think you would probably see the Australian spinners bowl a bit quicker."

The Australian was full of praise for fellow Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, who is now part of the 15-man squad for the series. Hogg who had noticed Yadav at the Kolkata Knight Riders believes that the chinaman could prove a handful if given a chance.

"Kuldeep is someone who has got the talent and we are going to see a lot of him in the coming years. He will definitely be one of the best chinaman bowlers to have graced the game in a long time. I was surprised that India went with three quicks and left Kuldeep out during the Bangladesh game. He has done exceptionally well in first-class cricket this season. I think he would definitely be a handful for the Australians if he gets a game," he concluded.

Ashwin-Jadeja best spin duo at the moment, says Brad Hogg

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