'He absolutely revels in on-field battles...': Graeme Swann cautions England against engaging Virat Kohli

‘He absolutely revels in on-field battles…’: Graeme Swann cautions England against engaging Virat Kohli

NEW DELHI: Former England spinner Graeme Swann revisited the momentous 2012 Test series victory in India, offering valuable insights and advice for the upcoming English tour later this month in a recent interview on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

Avoiding confrontations with Kohli

Swann warned the current England team against engaging in verbal battles with Virat Kohli, emphasizing the Indian batter’s love for on-field challenges.

Recounting an incident involving Steven Finn, Swann said, “We had been told beforehand to not say anything to this bloke because he absolutely revels in a battle in the field.”

“Steven Finn got driven for a couple of incredible fours and he lost the plot and had a go at him and realised his mistake straight away. Virat roared up like a tiger and Finn just doubled down and got smashed everywhere.”

The former spinner highlighted Kohli’s prowess in limited-overs cricket at the time but noted his relatively untested nature in Test cricket.

“We knew what he could do in the white-ball format, but back then he hadn’t really done anything in Test cricket,” Swann stated.

Pujara’s nimble footwork posed a challenge

Reflecting on the Indian batting lineup, which included stalwarts like VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli, Swann surprisingly revealed that the batsman he didn’t like bowling to was Cheteshwar Pujara. Praising Pujara’s nimble footwork, Swann described him as a challenging batsman to bowl against.

“It’s strange when I look back at the team they had, and the one that I didn’t like bowling to was Pujara,” Swann admitted.

Shane Warne’s advice on Indian pitches

Swann also shared advice he received from the legendary Shane Warne on playing in spin-friendly Indian conditions.

“The best advice I got was from Shane Warne. In the first innings, spin the ball as hard as you can because the pitch will do nothing and try to pick up the odd wickets,” Swann revealed.

“In the second innings, think the pitch is doing everything for you and land the ball where you can so you take the pressure off yourself. It was the best advice I had,” he added.

Confidence and Control: Keys to success in Test cricket

Offering guidance to the England players set to tour India on January 25, Swann emphasized the importance of confidence and control on the field.

“The secret to Test cricket is to treat it as if you are the best player in the world and everyone else has to dance to your tune,” Swann said, drawing on his own experience from the 2012 Test series where he took 20 wickets.

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(With inputs from PTI)

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