IND vs ENG: Graeme Swann Gives Crucial 'Shane Warne' Advice To England Spinners

England will be touring India for a five-match Test series starting from January 25. They are the last team to win a Test series in India which was back in 2012. Former England spinner Graeme Swann offered a piece of advice to the young England spinners ahead of their big assignment against India. Graeme Swann has backed the England spinners to perform well on the rank turners in India during the red-ball fest. The first Test will be played in Hyderabad.

Graeme Swann wreaked havoc alongside Monty Panesar on Indian pitches during the 2012-13 series and both of them together took 37 wickets in the series to help England win the series 2-1 against India. The series in 2012 was their last triumph on Indian soil in Tests. It has been 12 years since they tasted victory and this time the England team will be hungry for glory.

The visitors will look to win a Test series in India after 12 years and improve their record on sub-continent pitches. The sub-continent tracks offer a lot of spin and for England, all eyes will be on Tom Hartley and Shoiab Bashir who are expected to make their debut for England in the series.

Jack Leach will be leading the spin attack for England in the Test series against India. He was excellent with the ball taking 18 wickets during the 2021 series between England and India. England has a fairly inexperienced spin department but Graeme Swann backs them to do well in the series. He has advised them to take inspiration from legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne.

Graeme Swann Expects Confidence Like Shane Warne From England Spinners

“Everyone should look as confident as Warne did in the second innings of any game, because if you can bluff the batter into thinking you’re in control, then you can get wickets,” Swann said on Sky Sports Podcast. Graeme Swann expects full confidence from the England players when they take on India and wants them to not get intimidated by the opposition and the conditions. “The secret to Test cricket is to treat it as if you are the best player in the world and everyone else has to dance to your tune,” Swann said.

The veteran spinner has high hopes for Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley and he believes that they can take on any batting line-up on their day. “We need big bowlers who are going to be effective on the pitches in India. Hartley and Shoaib Bashir are very tall bowlers. Hartley is six feet four and Bashir has longer fingers than Monty Panesar. They are fairly consistent as well and can be a handful,” Swann said.

“These guys are in no way near as far behind as their Indian counterparts talent-wise. I would try and ram that home that if they truly believe they are good enough to beat these Indian players, they can do it.”

Graeme Swann took 20 wickets in the 2012 series which England won against India 2-1. England will be hoping to improve their WTC standings in this series but the Indian team on Indian tracks is more than a menace and they won’t easily let the England players get their way.