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New India excites Swann

Carefree attitude working for them, says off-spinner
Last Updated 08 September 2011, 16:39 IST

 “I think what has happened, with the high turnover of the India players, a few of the younger guys who have come in seem to be playing with a fairly carefree attitude that’s really working for them,” pointed out Swann here on Thursday. “Parthiv Patel and (Ajinkya) Rahane at the top are batting fantastically at the minute and are looking carefree when they go out.

“We’ve been provided with new challenges because of the high turnover of players and so it doesn’t feel like the same team we played against three or four weeks ago. It feels like we’re still learning about the opposition and so, I wouldn’t say we go in thinking ‘we’re going to trounce this lot today.’ We go in really thinking there’s a game on our hands each time,” he explained.

Suresh Raina, the off-spinner felt, was a different player compared to the Test series. The left-hander earned a pair in the final Test here at The Oval but returns to the venue high on his blistering cameos. “It could have been that he just woke up one morning and thought, ‘Sod this, I’m going to smack the ball around,’ or it could have been the 42-ball pair here that made him walk off and think ‘Never again’. You never know, but he's certainly been very exciting, and he looks a completely different player. Some of his hitting the other night was spectacular to watch even on the field, and it must have been great for the Indian fans off it, because I know there were a lot in the crowd,” he opined.

After missing the abandoned one-dayer at Chester-le-Street due to viral fever, Swann returned to action with a three-wicket haul in Southampton. “I wouldn't say enjoyable because it was freezing cold and raining but it was a nice win in the end,” he remarked when asked if it was a pleasant comeback for him. “Obviously lying in my bed in Durham watching that game on TV wasn’t much fun. I like to be involved and at the ground at all times feeling my best.”

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(Published 08 September 2011, 14:13 IST)

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