Former English off-spinner Graeme Swann believes the ball swings will decide who will win the upcoming five-match Test series between the hosts England and the visitors India.

After the completion of the limited-overs series, where the visitors India won the T20I series and the hosts England won the ODI series, both teams are now getting ready for the long Test series, starting from August 1.

Swann believes the ball swings will be the important matter in the upcoming Test series as James Anderson will be dangerous if the ball swings.

Swann said, “If the ball doesn’t swing, England will have to rely on reverse swing later on. Jimmy (James Anderson) is not the same bowler with the older ball because by the time it starts reverse swinging, Kohli will be 60-70 not out.

“England did well last time because Jimmy had the new ball swinging. It’s just not Indians who don’t do well against swing. Every batsman in the world doesn’t like it when the ball swings around especially when Anderson is bowling.

“If it swings, England will win the Test series easily but if it doesn’t, and I don’t think it will, I think it will be a brilliant series. England don’t have a great spin attack in the Test series, so again India hold all the aces in that department too.”

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Swann has desperately wanted to see the Indian left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the upcoming Test series. The former English off-spinner believes Kuldeep can be a massive bowler for India in this summer if he has been used in the right way.

Swann said, “If I was an Indian, I would desperately want him to play in the Tests because he does provide mystery and the English batsmen cannot pick his googly. He also bowls a good length and went for just 20-odd on a beautiful batting wicket at Nottingham. He doesn’t give the batsmen enough opportunity to see the ball off pitch, and can hit a perfect length and pace.

“If India use him wisely, he could be a massive bowler for them this summer, particularly if it continues to stay dry. This is where some caution is needed. He has bowled well, but he has also come up against two very poor teams against wrist spin in South Africa and England.

“So, my advice would be to not get carried away and put too much pressure on Kuldeep that he has to perform and do well always, which I thought happened in the latter half of the ODI series.”

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India has three specialist spinners for the upcoming Test series – experienced Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and inexperienced Kuldeep Yadav. Swann has claimed that Ashwin and Jadeja are best in India, but the wrist-spinner Kuldeep should be used in England.

The 39-year-old said, “It is a tough call. But I would want to look and say ‘whom do England want to face? When playing in India, that answer would be Ashwin and Jadeja a hundred percent, and they would be my first two names on the sheet. In England, are they still the first two names?

“You look at their records from the past and what they bring to the team. You don’t have to play both of them, you can play just one. If I were blessed with a wrist spinner to pick, I would always personally put a wrist spinner in.”

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In the upcoming Test series, Virat Kohli and James Anderson clash will be renewed. In their last meetings in England, back in 2014, Kohli disappointed very much. Swann believes that the in-form Kohli must be eager to perform best in this English tour as the condition is in his favour.

Swann said, “He (Kohli) is probably embarrassed by the last tour here because he is such a good player and that was not the Virat Kohli we know. He probably wants to right that wrong. And it is in his favour at the moment because the ball is not swinging.

“The hot weather we have been having, it is unseasonal, and there is no moisture around in the air or in the ground. That makes the ball swing in England and it has not been swinging.”

Swann also believes that the limited-overs results will not put much impact in the Test series.

The former English spinner said, “England still have got some glaring weaknesses against spin and they were highlighted there. It was same for India, who thought England will be a walkover after the first ODI. Lord’s was a bit of wake up call for India as well.

“(But) I don’t think it (England winning ODIs) will have much impact (on the Test series) to be honest because the England test team is so different. Instead, that will play into India’s hands to be honest because 80 percent of the batsmen haven’t played against Kuldeep yet.”

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Swann has also defended Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and former skipper MS Dhoni, who has been criticised for his slow-batting in the last two ODIs.

Swann concluded, “I don’t think it is down to form but more down to the change in pitches…it is not easy to keep adjusting even for a player who is as experienced or as good as Dhoni.

“It often happens when your top-order is so powerful that guys later on in the middle don’t get a go (regularly). So when India win…It can sometimes mess up the middle order because they don’t get so many balls on the bat.”