Graeme Swann, the former England spinner, said that beating India in a Test series in India is the greatest achievement of his career. Swann was one of the architects of England’s historic series win in India 2012/13, finishing joint highest wicket-taker with Pragyan Ojha with 20 wickets.
“Honestly when I look back, it is probably my greatest achievement because of what it meant to me as a spin bowler,” said Swann on Sony Ten Pit Stop that was aired on the network’s Facebook page.
“We went and won in Australia in 2010 but I didn’t have too much to do. I just watched Alastair Cook score thousands of runs and Jimmy Anderson take all those wickets. But that series in India is one of the fondest periods of my life.”
Swann, who retired in June 2013, and his spin bowling partner Monty Panesar took a combined 37 wickets in the series. Meanwhile, Alastair Cook, the then captain, thrashed Indian bowlers, scoring 562 runs in eight innings.
After India won the first Test in Ahmedabad by nine wickets, the result looked far from being possible. “
I remember the very first day we are playing in Ahmedabad and Sehwag scored a hundred that was just brilliant. He hit Tim Bresnan back over his head for six I think before lunch on the first day of that match and we were thinking oh no, we are in a bit of bother here. We were hammered in that game but I think I got five wickets in that game,” said Swann.
“It was one of those series when everything went well for us after the first Test,” Swann concluded.