Graeme Swann was undoubtedly one of the best spinners in the world while he was still tweaking it for England and he is an equally good cricket commentator and pundit now that he has decided to pick up the mic. Swann’s views about Indian cricket in particular are well respected as he makes interesting observations and follows Indian cricket and the IPL.
Speaking about leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Swann made a big comment about the leggie’ future in red-ball cricket, as he has never been considered for the longest format, despite being India’s leading spinner in white-ball cricket for a while now.
“I’d sit down with Yuzi and I’d say, ‘What is it? Do you want to play red-ball cricket for India?’ If he does, I’d have him in the squad straight away. I think he is world class, he’s the best spinner in the world in my opinion. His control, bowling leg-spin in very tricky conditions, especially when that ball gets dew on it and gets wet, is incredible. There isn’t a more difficult place to bowl in the evening than in India,” Swann told The Times of India.
Swann said that Chahal should be given a chance to showcase his mettle in Test cricket as well and should not be restricted to white-ball cricket only.
“Well, I should say Yuzi is the best white-ball spinner then, because we don’t know if he can be the best red-ball spinner! But it shows that some cricketers have been pigeonholed into the white-ball format.”
Speaking about the health of Test cricket Swann said that he hopes the new brand of Test cricket that England has shown recently in the Test series against New Zealand, should rub off on other teams too, which could bring the crowds back in.
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“As for the relevance of Tests, I still think it’s very healthy. As teams become more attacking, the passion for Tests is being rekindled. England are playing an exciting brand of cricket. I hope that Baz McCullum’s ethos will rub off on the Indian team and other teams around the world. It’s a way to get the crowds back in,” Swann said.
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