'He is for England, what MS Dhoni used to be for India': Graeme Swann lavishes praise on England captain Eoin Morgan

Former England spinner Graeme Swann has hailed captain Eoin Morgan for his leadership in the limited-overs format and opined that England’s chances in the upcoming T20I series will largely depend upon its skipper’s form.

Morgan holds an excellent record as a T20I captain. Under his leadership, England have won 31 out of the 54 encounters and are currently placed at the top of the ICC T20I rankings. The England captain has played 97 T20I games and scored 2278 runs at an impressive average of 30.37

While speaking on Star Sports Network, Swann said that Morgan is for England what ‘MS Dhoni used to be for India’ – a charismatic leader.

“Eoin Morgan is going to have a good series. He's the leader, he goes in the middle order but it's more on the field. He is for England, what MS Dhoni used to be for India, is the captain and leader,” Swann told Star Sports.

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“He's got a lot of stature in that team and the players play for him. I think the T20 series will depend on how Eoin Morgan goes. If he has a good series with the captaincy and the bat, I think England will be very strong,” he added.

Swann also backed No 1-ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan to come good on batting-friendly Indian pitches.

“I think Dawid Malan will do well. He is a very good player of spin bowling. He is a very strong player through the off-side as well. The Indian grounds should suit him as the wickets don’t tend to turn too much in T20 cricket. They are good batting wickets for the most part with quick outfields. You should be excited to watch him play as he has been phenomenal over the last couple of years,” said Swann.

India and England will lock horns in the first T20I of the 5-match series on Friday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.