Former England cricketer Graeme Swann has high hopes for England’s new-look spin bowling department in their upcoming five-match Test series against India. England’s spin contingent will be led by the seasoned Jack Leach and consists of three relatively inexperienced Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, and Shoaib Bashir spinning bowling trio in the squad to support Jack Leach.
The first Test between India and England is scheduled for January 25 in Hyderabad, and will most likely feature Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed in the playing 11.
Meanwhile, one of Tom Hartley or Shoaib Bashir would take one spot in the playing 11 if the conditions could favour the spinner. Bashir took 10 wickets in six Somerset games, while Hartley has more experience, having taken 40 wickets at an average of 36.57 for Lancashire.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Graeme Swann believes that England spinner would topple any batting lineup if the conditions favour them and believes that young spinners can handle pressure in unfamiliar conditions. The former spinner also believes England can take advantage of the conditions if spin-friendly wickets are available for the five-match test series.
“They can bowl, put it that way, and the guys that are on that trip in India, if conditions suit and they get the chance and they can handle the pressure of it, are genuinely exciting. Hartley and Bashir could be genuinely exciting on the sort of wickets that are going to be produced by India, or you think are going to be produced,” Graeme Swann said.
“They’ve been picked very much for that purpose and they could be brilliant. We saw things in Abu Dhabi that genuinely had me grinning like a Cheshire Cat and I’m very excited.
“They’re complete unknowns to the rest of the world so should they get the chance on the sort of pitch that we played India on last time in Ahmedabad, they could easily roll through any batting line-up in the world. I think it’s very exciting,” Graeme Swann added.
England’s spin attack lacked a little skillset on their previous trip to India in 2021. Jack Leach took 18 wickets in the four-match series but didn’t find support for the other hand.
Meanwhile, Joe Root had to step up to win a five-wicket haul in Ahmedabad, and the team would be keen on turning things around in the five-match Test series.
Tom Hartley has only played one ODI, and fellow spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has only played six first-class games since his debut in June 2023, was an unexpected choice for the series. Even Rehan Ahmed, reputedly the second-most senior member of the spin department, has only played 13 first-class games in his career and the series against India would be a tough test for the England spinners.
