Indian batsmen test mettle of spinners: Brad Hogg

Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Australian spinner Brad Hogg on Wednesday said he enjoys bowling against Indian batsmen who test the mettle of spinners owing to their traditionally superior technique against tweakers.

"I really enjoy bowling to Indian batsmen because they really test your craft. In the last 20-30 years there hasn't been an Australian spinner who has come here and dominated the batsmen," Hogg was quoted as saying by iplt20.com.

"It is good to test your skills against the best and that is why you play the game."

His team, KKR, were beaten by 2 runs by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Tuesday.

When asked if bowling in powerplay is tougher than in the slog overs, he said, "I am not sure what it tougher, each scenario has a different set of challenges. It depends on what kind of wicket there is."

"This one was conducive to spin and I got away with it. Sometimes when you bowl in the first six overs, the batsman takes extra risk and you can get rewarded. It can also damage your bowling figures. One common factor in both scenarios is keeping your nerve," the 44-year-old added.

When he took the field in Chennai for KKR, at 44 years and 81 days, Brad Hogg became the oldest cricketer to play in the IPL.

"It is amazing to be back playing in the IPL. I am just fortunate to be still playing at my age. I have had a stop-start career and it has been a bit of a fairytale to still keep going," he said.

"My teammates at KKR are a great bunch of blokes and I am enjoying being a part of it all."

He termed his tryst with KKR an enriching experience.

"We want to ensure that we do the right thing on the field as players but we also want to get involved in the culture and see what India is all about. I have been fortunate to be part of the Kolkata franchise and see what life is like in the Bengal region," he concluded.