New Delhi, Sep 8: Spinner Graeme Swann believes England will have to beat India not only in the ODI series at home but away as well if they wish to be counted among the best international nations in the shorter format.
England are ranked fifth in the ODIs. The hosts lead the Natwest series 1-0 and will be looking to stretch the lead in Friday's third game at The Oval.
Swann said England will need to win in the return series in India next month.
"Our official ranking is five and I don't think we can argue with that," Swann was quoted as saying in Sky Sports News. "We have shown some improvement recently but we have to continue that if we want to be one of the best teams. We have to beat teams like India, not just in this series, but when we go away to play them as well."
Swann believes One-day captain Alastair Cook has proved his critics wrong after his match-winning innings at the Rose Bowl Tuesday.
"He's just letting his bat do the talking," Swann said. "It is very good for Cooky. He works very hard on his game, no one works harder on his game although Kevin Pietersen might tell you differently. It is brilliant that it is paying off for him. He was written off - he's even hitting sixes these days. So you never know, hell might freeze over."
