Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg recently stated that if India doesn’t start well against England they will most likely remain on the backfoot throughout the course of the second cycle of the World Test Championship which starts from the series between India and England at Trent Bridge on 4th August 2021.
Hogg further added that in order to become clear favorites of the second cycle of the World Test Championship India will have to win the series against England as they will be favorites at home against Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.
It will be a hard task for India to dominate their rivals on the UK tour and their pacers especially Stuart Broad and James Anderson will be a hard nut to crack.
“India have 19 games, out of which they will need to win 13 games to get into the WTC final. They are playing western teams on their home soil where they have got a huge advantage. But away, England is where their nightmare could begin. If they don’t start well against England, they will be on the back foot early and will have to catch up,” said Hogg as quoted by Cricket Addictor.
“England will play India and this is what I feel will decide their fate whether they will play the WTC final after two years or not. If they can dominate India, win four out of the five-Test matches and not allow India to win, have a draw in the fifth Test, that sets them up perfectly. They then have to beat Australia at least twice on their home soil to have a chance of reaching the WTC final,” added Hogg
England are very strong team in their backyard as they recently played with the second-string side and defeated Pakistan’s three-match ODI series by 3-0 which speaks a volume about the bench strength that they possess at the moment.
