London: Graeme Swann, the architect of England's famous series win in India in 2012, wants left-arm spinner Jack Leach to bowl a "boring" line and length to be successful in the four Tests against Virat Kohli's team.
Leach and offie Dom Bess face an enormous challenge having not bowled in India before. Moeen Ali is the only spinner with experience of Indian conditions but he is not playing the first Test that began in Chennai on Friday.
"What you see is what you get with him. He's a no-frills left-arm spinner, who runs up and pitches it on the stumps. I'd tell him very simply to watch what Herath used to do for Sri Lanka.
"That's the blueprint for Leach: run up, put it on the spot, be metronomic, and be almost deadly boring in the way he operates in India," Swann, who was the leading wicket taker in India's last series defeat at home, was quoted as saying by a media outlet.
Leach doesn't bowl at the pace Monty Panesar bowled in 2012 but his consistency impresses Swann.
"India's batsmen will respect a good ball, and he doesn't bowl very many bad ones. Generally, Indian batsmen will play the long game. That's brilliant for him because it gives him the chance to get into a rhythm and find his groove. He can definitely be consistent enough to hold down an end," he said.
However, Swann doesn't expect the same consistency from Bess but sees him doing well for England in the long-term.
"The fact that Dom is still young and hasn't bowled a great number of overs in his life means that he's not as consistent as he might be in the future. It's a tricky one, because Bess is a wicket-taker," Swann said.