We must play better against spin: Swann

Off spinner Graeme Swann has conceded England batsmen must play spin better than they did against Sri Lanka and Pakistan if they want to win the Test series against India at their home turf.

Swann said he is feeling fresh and focussed before the start of the first Test match at Ahmedabad on Thursday despite the fact he had to fly back home to see unwell daughter.

"I am now totally focused on the first Test after flying home because our little baby was unwell. I had sleep flying back to India and any jet-lag has gone. I'm fresh and the ball has been coming out well in practice," Swann wrote in his column for The Sun.

"I am now concentrating on the Test. I love it when I know I'll have a lot of work to do. The conditions will be hot, the pitches dry and spin will be a big factor in the four-Test series," he added.

"I genuinely believe we can win but we must play better against spin than we did in the three Tests against Pakistan earlier this year. We need to get back to playing the same brand of smart, aggressive cricket we did when winning The Ashes a couple of winters ago," he wrote.

Swann further said: "Spin was undoubtedly our downfall in the UAE but we saw in the Second Test of the subsequent series in Sri Lanka that we had a different approach to facing slow bowling. That will be carried forward to this tour."

"We have some of the most destructive batsmen in the world who go out and play with a free spirit and dominate bowlers," he wrote.