'Disrespectful, bordering on arrogance': Graeme Swann criticised by England, Indian cricket fans over 'warm-up for Ashes' comment

Former England cricketer Graeme Swann is facing severe criticism from English and Indian cricket fans after he labelled the upcoming five-match Test series between Team India and England a “warm-up for the Ashes” . While former spinner Swann admitted that India are going to be a tough opponent, he kept the upcoming Ashes at the centre of his preview and finished by saying that winning against Shubman Gill and Co will give England the required confidence for the series against Australia.

“It’s kind of a perfect warm-up for the Ashes to be honest,” Swann told Sky Sports. “India is a huge series. The last 2-3 times we have gone to India, we have been thoroughly outplayed. So in our own backyard, our home turf, we need to beat India. We need to play well. They are not gonna have Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, two absolute superstars of the bat.

“So, without that, yes, they have got great players coming in instead, but we have bowlers who can exploit our conditions well, who can bowl really well. I think England must look to win this series and I think they should look to win it convincingly as well. I will take 4-1, 3-2. I will push, but I really hope we do well and get the confidence moving into the Ashes.”

Indian, English fans criticise Swann for warm-up comments

Swann’s preview and his remark calling the India vs England Test series a warm-up haven’t gone down well with fans from either England or India.

A cricket fan from England said that Swann’s comments were “disrespectful” and arrogant. “Not only is it disrespectful to call any test series a warm up for the Ashes, it’s bordering on arrogance to do so for a series against India,” he wrote on X.

Another account by the name of Adam Sutherland said that the comments Swann made are the reason why English cricket is not admired globally. “It’s not difficult to understand why there is not a lot of love for English cricket globally when a test series - against the powerhouse team of the last decade no less - is described as a warm up for the Ashes,” he wrote.

An Indian cricket team fan mocked Swann and said that even Australia don’t take the Ashes seriously. “It’s perfectly ok not to take things like this seriously . The best part about the Ashes is even Australia plays the ashes to warm up for the next series,” a user by the name Arnab wrote.

Nonetheless, it’s not a hidden fact that India face a daunting task in England in the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. All eyes will be on new Test captain Shubman Gill. In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, cricketer-turned-commentator Ajay Mehra said that the young Indian team can win in England.