T20 World Cup 2022: "My player of the tournament will be Suryakumar Yadav" - Brad Hogg backs the in-form batter to have a fruitful tournament 

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has picked Team India's Suryakumar Yadav to claim the player of the tournament award at the end of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. The No. 2-ranked ICC T20I batter has been in near-invincible form lately and enters the ICC event as one to watch out for.

Suryakumar has cemented his place at No. 4 in the Indian batting unit on the back of an eventful 2022.

The Mumbai-born batter has adjusted well to the Australian conditions so far, with a couple of fifties across the practice matches during the build-up to the tournament.

Backing Suryakumar to adapt to the conditions across the diverse venues in Australia, Hogg said on his YouTube channel:

"My player of the tournament will be Suryakumar Yadav. I just like his versatility, how he plays off the backfoot both sides of the wicket, and he also looks to hit it straight."

Hogg added:

"He is the best adept batter to utilize all the conditions in Australia. Suryakumar Yadav is the batter that I think will be able to adapt to the different venues in Australia."

Suryakumar's twin fifties came at the old WACA Stadium in Perth and the Gabba in Brisbane. India are slated to play their Super 12 stage matches in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth over the course of the tournament.

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"If the batters try to hit him down the ground, the extra bounce will hit higher on the bat" - Brad Hogg on how Ravichandran Ashwin can play a part in Australian conditions

One of the surprise inclusions on the flight to Australia was arguably Ravichandran Ashwin.

The senior off-spinner was brought into the scheme of things after a seven-month absence following India's home series against New Zealand in late 2021.

Since then, Ashwin has been part of the playing XI on sporadic occasions, especially when the opposition boasts a plethora of left-handed batters.

Explaining how Ashwin's extra height and ability to bowl top spin will prove to be helpful on Australian surfaces, Hogg said:

"Ashwin has played county cricket in England and has preparing for the World Cup in Australia as well."

Hogg continued:

When you have got that overspin plus his extra height, the batters trying to sweep him will find it difficult to control because of the extra bounce that he is going to get. If the batters try to hit him down the ground, the extra bounce will hit higher on the bat."

Ashwin had an eventful outing in the second practice match against Western Australia XI, returning with figures of 3-32 off his four overs.

Should Team India include Ashwin in the playing XI for their opening encounter against Pakistan? Let us know what you think.