MUMBAI: Former England spinner Graeme Swann believes his team will have the upper hand in the fifth Test against India at the Edgbest Stadium in Birmingham as the team played a three-match Test series against New Zealand. England beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the third Test on Monday to sweep the series 3-0. “England are in good shape and they will have the upper hand because of this series (against New Zealand),” Swann told a press conference organized by Sony Sports. The official broadcaster of the India-England Test match.
Also Read: IND vs ENG: Virender Sehwag blames BCCI selectors for India having no backup opener
“The Indian team, on the other hand, has taken part in just one warm-up match in England. They haven’t played a Test match recently and that could hurt the team,” he said. Complimenting the team led by Brendon McCullum for playing an aggressive game. He said that this is not the right time to face England.
The kind of game that England showed against New Zealand, it will be a difficult time to play against them
“The kind of game that England showed against New Zealand, it will be a difficult time to play against them. You will face a team that has Joe Root at his best and Ollie Pope having the best time in Test cricket. Ben Stokes has added positivity to the team.
The 43-year-old former player, who took 255 wickets in 60 Tests for England, said about the Indian team. “I think Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli will be the main players. It will be great to see if Kohli can open up like Root.”
Also Read: IND vs IRE T20: Indian Fast Bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar Breaks Shoaib Akhtar’s
Praising Pujara, Swann said it would benefit the Test specialist batsman
Praising Cheteshwar Pujara, who recently scored four hundreds in county cricket with two double hundreds. Swann said it would benefit the Test specialist batsman. He said, “He did an amazing job for Sussex, it’s a win-win for India. It would be beneficial to have such a player in England at the start of the season because the ball moves a lot at that time.”