Team India will begin their hectic Test cricket season in a few weeks, with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19, followed by New Zealand home series in October, and finally a five-match tour of Australia in November.
Ahead of India's first Test against Bangladesh, former Australian spinner, Brad Hogg made a bold call in his selection for India's best XI for the upcoming Bangladesh Test series and later the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia.
In a surprising call, he left out experienced players KL Rahul and Axar Patel, opting instead for Sarfaraz Khan in his playing XI. The Indian squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, announced by the BCCI, includes some big names like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, but tough choices need to be made for the final playing XI.
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Why did Brad Hogg pick Sarfaraz Khan and drop KL Rahul and Axar Patel for his best India Test XI?
Brad Hogg's selection raised eyebrows as he chose Sarfaraz Khan over KL Rahul, who has been an impactful player in the Indian Test setup. Hogg also picked Rishabh Pant to return as the wicketkeeper, marking Pant's comeback to Test cricket after his car accident.
While he did not justify his selection, it was clear that he preferred the gritty youngster Sarfaraz over Rahul's experience, who has been a vital clog in the middle order of India's Test team for a couple of years.
"The XI that I am going with for the first Test match against Bangladesh – Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma to open the batting, Gill at three, Kohli at four, and Jadeja coming at five to keep that left-hand, right-hand combination going. Sarfaraz Khan, Pant, and then into the bowlers – Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Siraj, and Bumrah."
Brad Hogg leaves out Axar Patel and keeps Ravindra Jadeja
One of the toughest calls Hogg made was leaving out KL Rahul and Axar Patel. Rahul, who has been part of India’s Test setup for several years, didn’t make it into Hogg’s preferred XI.
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Axar, known for his impressive record of 55 wickets in 14 Test matches, also missed out, despite his growing reputation as an all-rounder.
"That team will go pretty well in Australia as well. So, they’ve got to start warming up for the Australian summer. No KL Rahul or Axar Patel in my playing XI," he added.
The first Test match between India and Bangladesh is set to begin on September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
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