England vs India: Brad Hogg would be ‘surprised’ if Rohit Sharma thrives in upcoming Test series

Team India will have a point to prove in the upcoming five-match Test series against hosts England, starting on August 4. After all, they lost the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand last month despite entering the game as hot favourites. While many things went wrong for India in the summit clash, their batting let them down the most.

Not a single score of 50 was registered from the Indian camp as the Kiwis walked away with an eight-wicket triumph at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Hence, Virat Kohli’s men must be determined to put up a better batting performance in the upcoming series. Many eyes will definitely be on Rohit Sharma as the veteran opener did pretty well in the WTC final.

Scoring 34 and 30, Rohit got starts in both innings but he couldn’t convert them into a big knock. Nevertheless, he would be determined to put up a better show against England. His job, however, won’t be easy by any means as UK is one of the last places a Test opener would like to play. With conditions being overcast more often than not, the Dukes ball gets a lot of purchase from the deck.

Moreover, the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad know their job pretty well. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma performs. Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg certainly doesn’t have high expectations from the 34-year-old. In fact, Hogg said he’ll be surprised if the Mumbai-born cricketer thrives in the upcoming series.

I think Rohit Sharma is going to have a few issues in England: Brad Hogg

“He Rohit Sharma is in India, he averages 79 (in Tests). But when he goes away, he only averages 27. Then we go to England, it even gets worse – it’s just 24. I think he is going to have a few issues against the likes of Broad and Anderson, especially opening the batting against the Duke ball. I will be very surprised if he has a big impact in this series,” Hogg said on his YouTube channel

“We all know how good he (Rohit) is and this has been one of the kryptonite in his game at Test level, performing away from India. England probably for an Indian batsman, has the hardest conditions to adjust to. He has had plenty of time over there so if he is going to do it, it has got to be this time. I think this will define him as a Test cricketer,” he added.

A career average of over 46 after 39 Tests speaks volumes of Rohit’s prowess. However, this average drops down drastically when he plays overseas (27.27). Nevertheless, the ‘Hitman’ would be determined to impress his numbers in the upcoming games.

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