Exclusive: Matthew Hoggard Full of Praise for Bumrah, Siraj and Kuldeep Ahead of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

The five-match Test series between India and England starts on June 20 at Headingley. The absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is the only difference from the previous tours as new captain Shubman Gill and Co. prepare to tackle the swing in the unpredictable English conditions.

Karun Nair, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Sai Sudharsan are a few names in the fray to fill up the vacant spots. The bowling group, however, looks more lethal.

Former England fast bowler Matthew Hoggard felt the series would be closely contested as India's bowling attack covers all bases. 

"You have so much potential in that Test squad that houses the likes of Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling attack, who has led India. Mohammed Siraj will be hard to face, and I love the fact that they have left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh; that's a bit of variety. Then you bring in Kuldeep Yadav, the spinner, whom we have never been able to play (haha)," Hoggard told SportsBoom.com in an exclusive interview. 

The 48-year-old, who has 122 wickets in 33 Tests at home, mentioned Ravindra Jadeja as an important player in the series. 

"The Indian batsmen need to score runs against the moving ball, but the bowling attack covers all options, whether it is swinging or spinning. You have Ravindra Jadeja, a fantastic fielder, a brilliant batter, and a left-arm spin bowler. It is going to be a great summer and very difficult for both sides."

Test series without brand Kohli

Hoggard, one of England's top 10 Test bowlers with 248 scalps in 67 appearances, retired in 2008. He did not play against Kohli but followed the former Indian captain's career, especially the tours of England in 2014, 2018, and 2021. 

"It's a shame that Kohli will not be around, isn't it? It's a shame because so many people want to watch Kohli bat. Not a shame for the England players, though."

"Kohli was a big advertisement for Test cricket, always said Test cricket was the pinnacle, and he always wanted to do well for India in Tests. That needs to be carried forward by Gill. He is an exciting batsman that has big shoes to fill. India is passionate about cricket, and everybody looks at the cricket team, which puts a lot of pressure on the captain. If he can strip that back and do what he wants to do without any politics or hidden agenda and go about concentrating on captaincy, it will be exciting for him," he said.

Stokes, Woakes, and the new bowlers

The England pace attack has lacked depth since the departure of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. 

Hoggard thinks the combination of Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will help rookies Sam Cook, Josh Tongue, and Brydon Carse. 

"It is brilliant having experience around. You can pick their brains, but cricket is a very simple game. It is made complicated by the people who play. The fact that Ben Stokes is captain is because he has a positive approach. He backs his bowlers, which stands them in good stead. It is about sticking to plans."

"Replacing someone like Anderson and Broad is a massive undertaking. They were brilliant bowlers. The exciting bit for me is the fitness of Stokes. He came in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and looked the most threatening of our bowlers, even in his short spells (2/11 and 1/41). The worrying bit is his workload," said the man who has 36 wickets in 10 Tests against India. 

"Carse is a little bit faster and hits the deck, Jamie Overton with his height is coming back in, and Woakes is brilliant in English conditions. We have got an attack that can take wickets. The bowlers would need a bit of assistance with the Duke balls and the weather (haha) with more green wickets to get the best seam and swing. If we can get the ball moving laterally, that would be of massive help," he reasoned.

Hoggard heaped praise on Cook. "He has put in the hard yards at Essex. He has bowled day in and day out in county cricket. He is very consistent. If he doesn't swing or seam, he has to find another way to find wickets. I know it is too big for me to talk about pace, as I wasn't the quickest, but the extra few yards of pace that he doesn't have could be his biggest hurdle."

England batters: How do they look?

Hoggard is hopeful that the England batters would shine. 

"Ben Duckett has been a revelation for me in all formats. If he, along with Zak Crawley, can get off to a good start, we will get it in as you have Stokes at No. 6. We will rely a lot on Joe Root as well, another talisman like Kohli. If Root has a good series, then our middle order has the engine to put some pressure on Indian bowlers," said the former speedster, who was part of the home Test series against India in 2002.

The veteran backed Harry Brook to deliver, too, as he has never played a Test match against India. 

"Brook burst onto the scene and scored loads of runs, and then, he had a quiet spell. These days, every ball is recorded, and they have analysts to assess your strengths and weaknesses. People started discussing plans against Brook because he was that good. He is amazing and needs to combat the desire and not nick the ball outside the off-stump. He could have a massive impact, and we have seen how good he has been with captaincy in the white-ball team," added Hoggard.

Ashes Down Under

Hoggard felt England will be high on confidence for the Ashes later in December if they get past India. 

“I am not a big fan of thinking too far, but Australia is not an easy place to go to. It is like going to India and winning. You can get carried away by the bounce and bowl a fraction short. You need to find the wicket-taking lengths. Adelaide will be different from Perth, which will be different from Gabba. Sticking to that length on every wicket and staying patient will help. If you find the line, you stick to it," he said.

Hoggard reiterated that England needed to follow a plan against India and stick to it. 

"Suppose we have a plan that we are going to bowl in the channel to say, Gill, and then what if we don't hit our channels and hit our middle stump and leg stump? We need to execute," he said.

Before the series against India, which is now called the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Hoggard will follow the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa. 

"I have a lot of love for South Africa, as I have spent a lot of years playing club cricket and first-class cricket in that country before I played for England, but I think Australia might have the edge in the final."

Among other achievements, Hoggard is remembered for his 15 wickets in England's historic triumph over Australia in Ashes 2005 at home.

READ| Matthew Hoggard: Cricket legend and a leading sports keynote speaker

Matthew Hoggard is an award winning Motivational speaker with the Champions Speakers Agency – the UK’s leading keynote speaker agency.