Old war- horse Hogg makes it count

Age is all in the mind, they say, and the IPL is proving this again and again.

Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid — all having crossed 40 or near the mark — have been pivotal to their teams’ cause in the last four editions.

In the current season as well, the quartet barring Warne, who quit last year, continue to be integral to their respective franchises.

Season Five has also seen the emergence of a new name — Brad Hogg. Even though the 41- year- old has not conquered the same heights as Tendulkar, Gilchrist, Dravid or Ganguly, he can still be credited for his courage to come out of retirement and resume playing a format often believed to be more suitable for youngsters.

After a brief stint as a commentator in 2011, the left- arm chinaman made his international return earlier this year as a member of the Australian T20 squad.

Hogg — roped in by RR for $ 180,000 — started off in the IPL reasonably well, even scalping the likes of Rohit Sharma and Richard Levi in the game against the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, though in a lost cause. Despite his age, it is not just his wickettaking ability, but even his energy and enthusiasm that acts as a boost for his side.

Says Australia’s T20 captain George Bailey, “Hoggy’s energy, enthusiasm and fitness in the field buoy up the team. He’s someone who’s always there to provide these on top of his excellent skills with the ball.”