Former English off-spinner Graeme Swann is definitely one of the finest spinners to have played for England. He was one of the very few spin bowlers outside the subcontinent to reap rewards in all conditions.
He had a terrific record in India and was instrumental in helping England win a Test series in India after several years. He played a pivotal role in the rise of England cricket during that period and helped them win many away series.
He called it quits from the game despite remaining at the peak of his game. He announced his retirement following the Ashes in 2013/14. Graeme Swann made his ODI debut way back in 2000 but broke into the Test team only in 2008. He appeared for England in 60 Tests, 79 ODI’s and 39 T20I’s for the national team.
He was a prolific wicket-taker and finished with 255 Test wickets, 104 ODI wickets and 51 T20I wickets. His sudden retirement from international cricket left an effect on the English spin department which was bolstered by the rise of Graeme Swann.
During a recent interview with ESPN Cricinfo where he answered 25 questions, Graeme Swann revealed various insights into England’s game and also answered several questions during the interview. Unlike the notion of world cricket that Indian players are good players against spin, Graeme Swann denied the fact and stated that no country has a batsman with an absolutely perfect technique against spin.
He further revealed that Shah Rukh Khan is his favourite though he hasn’t watched much Bollywood films. He stated that he got to more about SRK especially due to the fact that he is everywhere in India especially on every billboard.
When asked who is the toughest batsman he bowled to, Graeme Swann didn’t take time in mentioning the name of former South Africa legend Jacques Kallis. The former Proteas all-rounder is still regarded as one of the finest all-rounders of all time.
He aggregated 13289 runs in 166 Tests while he scored 11579 runs in 328 ODI’s. Swann stated that Kallis was sensational against spinners and it was very difficult to bowl at him.