“Great That Selectors Have Removed…”: Former Australia Spinner On “Ageing” Indian Star Duo Ahead Of England Test

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg feels that the Indian selectors have made the right call in dropping “ageing” players like Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma from the squad for the upcoming fifth rescheduled Test against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 1-5. India currently lead the Test series 2-1. India will have some fresh faces in their squad like Shreyas Iyer and Prasidh Krishna. Hogg said that Rahane and Ishant have not been at their best of late, and it’s time for the Indian team to give chances to youngsters.

“I think it’s great that the selectors have removed Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma from the Test team. They have been ageing and haven’t been performing to the best of their abilities of late. You’ve got to move on and bring youth in and rotate them so that they get experience alongside those who are already experienced,” Hogg said during a Q&A session on his YouTube channel.

Delighted by the smooth transition, Hogg said the likes of Shreyas and Prasidh will get the opportunity to learn and improve their skills, which will good for Indian cricket.

“Iyer is going to spend a number of years batting alongside Kohli, learning the game for the longer form and being able to develop a game plan where he is going to succeed. And then you’ve got Krishna, who will be coming up alongside Bumrah and Shami. So that is a good policy to rotate the players,” he added.

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India lead the five-match series 2-1 and need to avoid a defeat to seal victory.

The fifth and final Test was scheduled to be played last year at the Old Trafford in Manchester. However, the match was called off due to a Covid scare, and the venue has also been changed.