Brad Hogg predicts India-England Tests result, Swann signifies the Blues' record at home

Coming off a historic win against Australia, Team India now gear up to face England at home with their eyes set on the World Test Championship. While India has the advantage of the momentum gained from the courageous win against the Aussies, the Men in Blue will also be riding on home advantage when they face England in Tests in February. As the enthralling series nears, cricket pundits have started pouring in their predictions for the series. 

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has sided with the Men in Blues to win the series which starts in Chennai on February 5. While Hogg stressed that India cannot 'underestimate' England, he also mentioned that Head Coach Ravi Shastri will be on the top of his game. The Australian has predicted India to clinch the series 3-1 with two wins in Chennai and one in Ahmedabad. 

On the other hand, former England cricketer Graeme Swann has called for his team to focus on beating India and let go of the obsession over the Ashes. Asserting that 'Australia are not the best team anymore,' Swann highlighted India's home record and mentioned that the Men in Blue have been 'virtually unbeatable' at home since 2012. Decoding the way to victory, Swann said that England will have to focus on spinners as they would be the key to winning the series. 

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"We have to move away from looking forward to the Ashes series. It's a mentality ingrained in this country. Australia are not the best team in the world anymore. They used to be, by miles, and they were the benchmark to strive for. They're not now, but we're obsessed with this. I think beating India in India is a far higher thing to strive for right now,"  Swann was quoted by The Sun. 

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England tour of India 2020/21

England will be visiting India for an all-format bilateral series that will go on for almost two months. The gruelling tour with the English cricket team comprises four Test matches, five T20Is, and three ODIs up until March 28. The five-match Test series will also constitute a major part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The tour kicks off with the first Test that will be played in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Meanwhile, the entire bilateral series has been restricted to just three venues by the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI committee. In an official statement by the Indian board, the decision for limited venues was made due to the coronavirus crisis that is prevailing in the country. The venues decided for the series are Chennai’s M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel Stadium, and Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

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