Former England spinner Graeme Swann has sparked controversy by calling the upcoming Test series against India a “perfect warm-up” for the Ashes later this year. His comments, made during an interview with Sky Sports, have not gone down well with Indian fans, many of whom slammed the remark on social media.
Swann said England should be able to beat India at home, despite admitting that the Indian team has had the upper hand in recent meetings. He also suggested that England are strong favourites, especially since India will be without experienced stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“It’s kind of a perfect warm-up for the Ashes to be honest…India is a huge series. The last 2-3 times we have gone to India, we have been thoroughly outplayed. So in our own backyard, our home turf, we need to beat India. We need to play well. They are not gonna have Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, two absolute,” Swann told Sky Sports.
“So, without that, yes, they have got great players coming in instead, but we have bowlers who can exploit our conditions well, who can bowl really well. I think England must look to win this series and I think they should look to win it convincingly as well. I will take 4-1, 3-2. I will push, but I really hope we do well and get the confidence moving into the Ashes,” he added.
But Indian fans didn’t take the comment lightly. Many took to social media to call Swann disrespectful, pointing to India’s recent 4-1 win over England in the 2023–24 home series. Some fans even predicted a 5-0 whitewash in India’s favour this time around.
The five-match Test series between India and England starts on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds. It will be the first major challenge for a young Indian team under the new leadership of captain Shubman Gill.
England, who finished fifth in the previous World Test Championship cycle, also have a point to prove. With the Ashes set for later this year, the India series is expected to be a serious test — not just a warm-up — for both sides.
India squad for England Test series
India’s squad for England tour: Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk) (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav.
