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Former England spinner Graeme Swann has ignited a firestorm of criticism by labelling the upcoming five-Test series between England and India as a “perfect warm-up” for the Ashes later this year. While Swann’s intention was to rally England’s side and fans ahead of a crucial home series, his comments have been met with backlash from both Indian and English cricket followers, who view the remark as dismissive and disrespectful to a formidable Indian team.
Graeme Swann’s controversial take on ENG vs IND 2025 Test series
Swann’s assertion came during a Sky Sports interview where he emphasized that England must use the series starting June 20 at Headingley as a confidence booster before heading to Australia for the Ashes. He highlighted England’s recent struggles in India, where they were “thoroughly outplayed” in their last tours, and stressed the importance of winning on home soil against India’s new-look side, which lacks veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Swann predicted a 4-1 or 3-2 series win for England and urged his team to exploit home conditions effectively.
“They don’t have Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, their two superstars with the bat. Yes, they’ve got great players coming up instead, but we’ve got bowlers who exploit our conditions well. England must look to win this series. I will take 4-1, 3-2 at best. I hope we do well and get the confidence moving into the Ashes,” Swann stated.
However, this framing of the India series as a mere “warm-up” for the Ashes did not sit well with fans. Many Indian supporters took to social media to label Swann’s comments as arrogant and disrespectful, pointing out India’s recent dominant 4-1 victory over England in the 2023-24 home series and backing their team to continue that form. English fans, too, expressed discomfort with the notion of downplaying a high-stakes contest against one of the world’s top Test sides, seeing it as an outdated Ashes-centric mindset that undervalues the significance of the England-India rivalry.
“It’s kind of a perfect warm-up for the Ashes series. India is a huge series,” he added.
Here’s how fans reacted:
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. https://t.co/C5p0kujcsQ
— Adam Sutherland (@AdamSants_) June 17, 2025
England last won series against India in 2018 and ashes in 2015 FYI https://t.co/FJAkqsP5GZ
— Phanindra (@phanindra_20) June 17, 2025
Same old story with this English ex-cricketers everything is warm-up for the ashes and the same team gets humbled during ashes and cycle continues
By the way eng haven't won series against india since 2018 its nearly 7 years. https://t.co/SOu3WeaEa5— Kartik (@kartiksonagela) June 17, 2025
This snooty attitude of only Ashes tests matter is what is preventing Eng from even reaching the final of a WTC. https://t.co/f2gzyv4Pfc
— The man with many names (@Ram_Raviprolu) June 17, 2025
"We don't take any other series seriously because we prepare for that one series we lose every time" https://t.co/bZ0tzkfs89
— Pranav (@Hotline7Bling) June 17, 2025
England treat every series preceding to Ashes as "Warm Up" only to end up winning 5 sessions on the course of 5 games in Australia. https://t.co/FN20rHuUnt
— Rajdeep (@Rajdeep_C_18) June 17, 2025
Ignore English pundits trying to be the next Michael Vaughan by saying things that'll get them headlines.
But I am kind of optimistic about India's chances. More than most. Players like Sudharsan, Nair, Kuldeep give confidence + England would be under shit ton of pressure. https://t.co/hOqwyAd0Lt
— Rudransh Khurana (@rudraaaansh) June 18, 2025
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. https://t.co/bxYFroCQz4
— Ethan Dalton (@EthanDalton96) June 17, 2025
One of the reasons I respect Australian cricket is they will never treat any series as a warmup for any other one. They will play hard with same intensity against everyone & that's why they have played 2 WTC finals, won one while England finishes at no. 4 or 5 in a 9 team comp. https://t.co/b9crh2FSPH
— Akshay (@iAkshP) June 17, 2025
Describing the second biggest series you can play and a big chance to get some WTC points on the board as a warm-up 🤷♂️ https://t.co/e0eDHB1Jyf
— James (@jamesc_422) June 17, 2025
The stakes beyond the warm-up: What’s really at play?
The upcoming series is far from a simple preparatory exercise. It marks England’s first Test series since a disappointing fifth-place finish in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle, where their aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach yielded mixed results. Meanwhile, India, led by new captain Shubman Gill and deputy Rishabh Pant, are fielding a blend of youth and experience, including promising pacer Harshit Rana, who is expected to thrive in English conditions.
For England, the series is a crucial opportunity to regain form and momentum, especially with the Ashes looming in Australia from November 2025 to January 2026—a contest they have not won Down Under since 2010/11. For India, it is a chance to assert dominance despite missing two legendary batters. Both sides are highly motivated, making this series a fiercely competitive battle rather than a mere stepping stone.
Also READ: 3 reasons why Shubman Gill will be a successful Indian captain in the England tour
