Yuzvendra Chahal’s return to prominence after being dropped from the Indian team for the T20 World Cup last year has impressed former Australia spinner Brad Hogg. Hogg believes that Chahal, who has taken 26 wickets from 20 white-ball games since making a comeback to the Indian side, will play a key role for his team at this year’s T20 Cup in Australia.

“(Having seen) his growth over the last year or two, he is going to have a better series (the T20 World Cup) in Australia,” Hogg told reporters here on the sidelines of a ‘Western Australia’ tourism event. “He had a period where he got found out but he has found a method to rebuild himself and get back into the contest. He has grown as an individual,” Hogg said.

Predicting a successful World Cup for Chahal, Hogg said: “Chahal is up there... I think leg-spin in T20 cricket is probably the most effective option, especially in those middle overs. And the thing I like about Chahal is that he is up there with the best.” In praise of Surya Hogg has also taken note of the rise of Suryakumar Yadav in the international arena and considers him to be a “damaging” batsman for the opposition. Suryakumar made quite a statement with his 55-ball117 against England in a recent T20I.

“Suryakumar is going to be batting in the top-order. He is probably the most damaging batsman. He is a tough batsman to bowl to because he scores in different areas,” Hogg said. The 51-year-old Australian thinks that it is very difficult for rival teams to set up batsmen like Suryakumar and Rishabh Pant. “If he and (Rishabh) Pant are out in the middle, both are different players, but they are unorthodox, so it is very hard to set them up with a good game-plan.”

(Written with PTI inputs)