On June 20, India will begin their five-match Test series against England in Leeds' Headingley. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two mainstays who recently retired from Test cricket, will not be available for the visitors.
Graeme Swann, a former spinner for England, disagrees. Swann feels that India still has the firepower to be a serious threat in both the bowling and batting areas.
"It's kind of the perfect warm-up for the Ashes, to be honest. India is a huge series,and the last two or three times we've gone to India, we've been thoroughly outplayed. So in our own backyard, our home turf, we need to beat India. We need to play well. They're not going to have Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. They're two absolute experienced superstars of the bat. So without that, yes, they've got great players coming in instead, but we've got bowlers who exploit our conditions well, who can bowl really well," Swann told Sky Sports Cricket.
"I think England must look to win this series, and I think they should look to win it convincingly as well. I'll take 4-1, 3-2 at a push, but I really hope we do do well and get the confidence moving into the Ashes," he added.
"The perfect warm-up for the Ashes"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 17, 2025
Graeme Swann on England's Test series against India ???????????????????????????? ???????? pic.twitter.com/woNyffMJ78
This series will begin the new WTC 2027 cycle for both India and England.
