England spinners must be patient and persistent if the tourists are to have a chance of toppling India, who are almost like a modern-day 'invincibles' - especially on their own patch, says former slow bowler Swann on this week's Hussain and Key Cricket Show
Friday 22 January 2021 15:03, UK
England's spinners must remain patient and persistent to make match-winning contributions in Sri Lanka and next month's series in India, says Graeme Swann.
Dom Bess and Jack Leach picked up five-wicket hauls in the first Test against Sri Lanka without being at their best but went wicketless on day one of the second Test despite bowling a combined total of tight 40 overs on a flat pitch in Galle, where the hosts reached 229-4.
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Speaking on the Hussain and Key Cricket show prior to the game, Swann - who picked up 60 of his 255 wickets in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at an average of 25 - says England's spinners will be rewarded for their accuracy, particularly in the four Tests against India, if they work hard enough.
"The one thing that I used to say to myself is, it's going to spin and it does spin - even on day one where they are fairly flat pitches," said Swann.
"If you bowl well enough, especially against India, they play you very respectfully. There is not a Virender Sehwag in that current team; Virat Kohli when he bats against spin waits for the bad ball.
"They don't do what Pakistan do, who look to just destroy you and smash you off a length. India are very, very patient but if you are willing to be patient and bowl all day you will take wickets.
"You might have to work very hard for them and you'll lose some timber, which isn't a bad thing if you're putting it on like I am - but as a spin bowler it's like bowling on the fourth or fifth day in England.
"That is why you are a spin bowler - that is your time to shine. So I used to look forward to going to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; I was thinking 'at least I'll get a good bowl and I'll be the leading wicket-taker'.
"That's what the spinners need to do. They can't look at that team, which is starting to take shape and look like the Indian team with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly - class players.
"But you've still got to look at it and think 'look I'm bowling against the best players of spin but at least it's going to be spinning'."
India will go into the England series on a high after completing a remarkable Test series comeback in Australia and Swann believes Leach, in particular, has a crucial role to play if Joe Root's team are to topple a side he says "reads almost like a modern-day 'invincibles'".
"Wrist spin at the moment has really taken over in the IPL to the tune that nearly every IPL franchise has at least one or maybe two leg-spinners and very few finger spinners.
"That can work very well in the finger spinner's favour, I think, because they are not playing them so often and there's a certain lackadaisicalness about batting against finger spin.
"It is the underdog again, so that is what Moeen Ali or Dom Bess have to say. Jack Leach is the one for me in India - he has to run up and be prepared to bowl nothing but straight deliveries, pitching middle stump and hitting middle stump.
"Rangana Herath has done it for years and done it very well against India, albeit in Sri Lanka. If Jack Leach can do that and almost tie one end up bowling 40 overs a day, then you can rotate the strike bowlers in Wood, Anderson and Broad and get the other spinner attacking more.
"I do think this India team are getting better and better. I honestly was thinking until I saw the squad 'yes, India are good but are they that good?'
"But their squad reads almost like a modern-day 'invincibles' - that is an incredible team they have got lined up at the minute."
Watch day two of the second Test between Sri Lanka and England live on Sky Sports Cricket from 4.25am on Saturday.
