Left-arm chinaman bowler from Australia Brad Hogg, who made waves with his enthusiasm on the field and played 145 international games since his debut in 1996, announced his Test XI for the year 2019. He picked as many as four Indians in the team, with Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma being selected as the openers.
The duo scored double hundreds at home, with the Mumbai player impressing in his first gig as an opener in the format. He was asked to open against South Africa and left his mark as he hit two hundred in two innings in a Test, while Mayank was a standout with his technique and skills.
“He made a fifty against Australia at the start of the year in Sydney and then he made a couple of hundreds in the middle of the year one of them a double against South Africa. Rohit Sharma, he’s made three hundred in six innings one of them a double hundred against South Africa as well so he’s in at number two,” Hogg said in his video.
Hogg also picked Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli in the middle order, while Ben Stokes, due to his performances with both bat and ball in the Ashes was a must-pick in the XI, according to Hogg. BJ Watling of New Zealand smashed a double century against England early in the year and followed it up with a hundred against Sri Lanka, which got him a slot for the wicket-keeper’s slot.
The bowlers are Mitchell Starc, Ishant Sharma and Neil Wagner with Nathan Lyon as the spinner of the Test side for 2019.
Brad Hogg’s Test XI:
Mayank Agarwal (IND), Rohit Sharma (IND), Marnus Labuschagne (AUS), Steve Smith (AUS), Virat Kohli (IND), Ben Stokes (ENG), BJ Watling (NZ), Mitchell Starc (AUS), Ishant Sharma (IND), Neil Wagner (NZ), Nathan Lyon (AUS)
