Hogg opts Babar over Kohli in his current Test XI

• Wrist spinner thinks Indian captain failed to live up to expectations in Australia.

Former Australia wrist spinner Brad Hogg has opted Pakistan’s limited-overs captain Babar Azam over India’s skipper Virat Kohli in his current Test XI.

The 49-year-old played seven Tests, 123 One-day Internationals (ODIs) and 15 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for Australia.

Babar’s Brisbane ton is the reason behind he took the decision to include him in his current Test XI.

“The reason why I have included Babar Azam in the lineup is because he scored a hundred against Australia in Brisbane, when Pakistan toured Australia last year,” said Hogg. “It’s very hard for overseas teams to perform on that particular wicket but he showed that he could and that is why he is one of the best players going around.”

Commenting on Kohli, Hogg thinks that Indian skipper failed to live up to expectation in his last outing in Australia in terms of numbers.

“Everyone will ask why is Virat Kohli not in this team?” he said. “But if you look at his last 15 Test innings, only four times he has gone over 31 [runs]. That’s why Virat Kohli is not my Test team this year.”

Brad Hogg’s current Test XI:

Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Babar Azam, Ajinkya Rahane, Quinton De Kock (c/wk), Pat Cummins, Mohammad Sham, Neil Wagner, Nathon Lyon.