Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has dared India to go after left-arm spinner Brad Hogg in the Tests, saying the visiting team’s strategy could ultimately end up working in the home side’s favour.“If they want to go after him, well, that’s good, because I think that’s probably the best way for us to take wickets,” Ponting said. “Hoggy is bowling very well, he’s very confident, he’s been talking up how well he’s been bowling right through the summer. he’ll do a good job,” he told reporters.“A lot of international players have struggled reading Hoggy in one-day cricket, especially,” Ponting said. “He’s got a lot of guys undone with his variations in that form of the game and I can’t see why it would be different in Test cricket,” he added.Hogg has 16 wickets against India at an average of 33.68 and Ponting felt the spinner has improved considerably. “If you’d looked at him before the World Cup, you probably wouldn’t have thought he would have been able to have that sort of impact,” he said.Unperturbed at being identified as the weak link, Hogg hopes Melbourne’s drop-in pitch will help earn him a Test recall after a four-year absence. The condition of the MCG surface will be crucial for selectors as they decide between four fast men or pick three quicks and Hogg. “You have got to go in with a bit of confidence. It’s great to get an opportunity against the best players of spin,” Hogg was quoted in The Australian.“I liked it as a spin bowler,” Hogg said of the ground in the paper. “It’s always in your favour having a good performance there under your belt,” he said.
