Graeme Swann: England can beat anybody… if they get over their Ashes fixation

The former international spinner on England’s chances in India, why Jonny Bairstow should be in the team and spin twins Jack Leach and Dom Bess

Graeme Swann believes England have the personnel to defeat India, providing they play the series with a winning mentality.

Joe Root’s men are scheduled to begin the first of four Tests in Chennai on Friday and could still secure qualification for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final in June with a series win.

Swann identified India, who have not lost a Test series at home for eight years, as the best side in the world, but the Betfair ambassador is confident England have the potential to erase the memory of 2016’s whitewash defeat.  

"[England] should be hoping to win it," he said. "They’ve got to look at the strengths they’ve got and think 'why not?'

"With Joe Root batting the way he is, they can build an innings around him. Stokes is coming back – a world-class all-rounder; a strike bowler like Jofra [Archer]; and then the old campaigners who are in the form of their lives.

^{Swann backed returning pair Ben Stokes (L) and Jofra Archer (R) to star for England}

"They should be excited by the prospect and are a team who can beat anybody - and I hope they do!"

Swann is concerned that in resting several player – Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood and Sam Curran are all missing part of the series - England are entering the campaign with the wrong mindset.

"You can’t look past the fact we’re going to India, undoubtedly the best team in the world, and if England don’t get over their fixation with the Ashes it almost degrades the series," Swann said.  

"I’m annoyed they’re not playing their strongest XI in all of the Test matches. It doesn’t make sense. This India team is the team to beat at the minute. Let’s get back to 2012 and prove [what] we can do rather than accepting [defeat] and not playing our full strength XI."

Of particular concern to Swann is Jonny Bairstow’s return home. The 31-year-old returned to the starting XI in Sri Lanka as a specialist batsman, scoring 139 runs across four innings, and Swann believes his absence for the first two Tests will be keenly felt.  

He said: "My biggest concern is whether our top six are going to make the sort of runs [India’s] top six are. I’ve got no worries with Root, but I’ve got a lot of issues with the top three, and that Jonny Bairstow is not part of that is mind-blowingly crazy!

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"If you’re the bowlers for India and you’re watching the Sri Lanka Test series, which one of England’s top three do you want to disappear? Undoubtedly, Bairstow. I wouldn’t mind a bowl at the other two.  

"It’s crazy. England need to scrap their policy of sending people home and get back out there."

However, in the bowling department, Swann has fewer concerns. A man who knows a thing or two about bowling in India, Swann took a series-leading 20 wickets at 24.75 as England ran out 2-1 winners in 2012.  

He said: “I loved bowling there. Any Test match where I knew I had a fighting chance I enjoyed, and in India you always have a fighting chance.  

^{Jonny Bairstow averages 37.85 as a specialist batsman but is missing the first two Tests}

"I know a lot of people talk about the extra pressure of being a spinner in India, but I didn’t see it as that. Just say "this is my chance to take more wickets and be a match-winner" as opposed to at Lord’s when it’s going to be Jimmy [Anderson] and Broady [Stuart Broad]."

Hoping to replicate the impact of Swann and his spin partner Monty Panesar (17 wickets at 26.82) are Jack Leach and Dom Bess. Leach and Bess took a combined 22 wickets in similar conditions in Sri Lanka in January, each impressing with a five-fer but struggling for consistency at times.  

Singling out Dom Bess for analysis, Swann believes mental strength and tough love will help the 23-year old succeed.

"My advice for Dom Bess is all mental. He has it in him to bowl a very nice off-spin shape," Swann said. "When he finishes his action, puts a lot of revolution on the ball and drives through his back leg, he gets a bit of drift and dip.  

"But when he’s not bowling well, like in the second innings of the first Test after getting five-fer, he was visibly nervous and visibly under pressure to reproduce that same performance and he couldn’t do it. He drifts the ball in and when he does that, he’s half the bowler.

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"You can see that the captain hasn’t got 100 per cent faith in him because he’s posting a deep cover or a deep point. I’d be saying [to him] you are bowling at some of the best batters in the world but it’s an even playing field. The ball is going to turn, the pitch is going to turn.  

"Stop this crazy tactic of 'we’ll start with the field out and bring it in'. Back yourself and if you get hit for four, it’s a tough world. He needs to believe he’s a wicket-taker."

However, Swann also added that the presence of Leach at the other end is of benefit to Bess, stating: "What I like about the two of them is they’re wicket-takers. They’ve grown up at Somerset and they take wickets. That’s what I’d be drumming into Dom.

"Jack seems more level-headed; he knows his game. He needs to be boring as hell like [Rangana] Herath used to be. Just put the ball in the slot, pitching middle stump to hit middle stump for 30 overs in a row.  

^{Spinners Jack Leach (L) and Dom Bess (R) have 444 combined first-class wickets and will be hoping to add to that total in India}

"The two of them work well together because they’re used to doing it. The trick is to get them believing they’re bowling for Somerset against Northants on a Tuesday afternoon in August rather than against the best top six in the world."

One player hoping to force his way back into the Test side is Moeen Ali. The spinner hasn’t played a first-class fixture since September 2019 but is a formidable allrounder on his day and excelled with the bat in India in 2016, scoring two centuries to finish as England’s second highest runscorer.

Swann isn’t sure Moeen’s batting prowess in India can be the sole justification for his inclusion in the side.  

"He is a world-class bowler. He has nearly 200 Test wickets, but he doesn’t believe in himself," Swann said. "If I was convinced he believed how good a bowler he is and the kind of cricketer he is, I’d love to have him back in the team.

"But I don’t agree with picking people to do their second string. I think you pick bowlers to take 20 wickets in India. I’d be looking at everything England did [in 2016] and avoid it like the plague because they lost four-nil. I’d be looking at 2012 and what we learned from that series.  

"If you’re saying pick Mo because he scored runs last time, it would be looking past the fact he didn’t take 20 wickets."

Moving onto the seam attack, Swann is of the opinion Archer holds the key to England’s chances, both in India and long-term, if he is used wisely.  

"[Archer] gets 10 overs a day to shock them with the ball," Swann advises. "I want him to put the frighteners on people like he does in the IPL. He always take the new ball and nearly always gets wickets in the first overs bowling hostile deliveries.  

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"The onus then comes on the spinners to bowl 25 overs a day. Jimmy and Broady will be able to bowl 20 overs but Jofra cannot bowl more than 10 a day. I don’t want him bowling 85mph, I want him bowling 95mph in short, sharp bursts.

"If England do that with him over the next ten years, they’ll be the number one Test team in the world."

Meanwhile, from India’s ranks, two names stand out for Swann as players to watch over the next four matches. 

"I’m excited to see Shubman Gill. He’s brilliant in the IPL, a classy player and had a great series in Australia. I love watching him bat," Swann enthused.

“And Rishabh Pant, he’s mercurial. He can be absolutely penthouse to outhouse, great one day, rubbish the next but he plays with a joie de vivre that I enjoy. He’s box office."

For more from Betfair ambassador Graeme Swann, head to his blog at Betting.Betfair

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