A rookie spinner, lacking even proper first-class experience, trumped champion bowlers in their own backyard. Tom Hartley certainly couldn’t have asked for a better Test debut, after his 7/62 in the second innings earned England a sensational come-from-behind victory in the series opener in Hyderabad.
With only 20 first-class games before his debut Test, Hartley had on his opposite side an Indian spin trio with a cumulative Test appearance of 175 matches (Ravichandran Ashwin 95, Ravindra Jadeja 68 and Axar Patel 12). The start he was off to was least inspiring, but when it really mattered, the 24-year-old Lancashire left-arm spinner turned the screws on the Indian batsmen, bowling with much more confidence and guile that he did in the first innings.
The likes of Ashwin and Jadeja, on the other hand, struggled for Plan B when Ollie Pope unleashed the sweep, reverse-sweep and other cheeky strokes to help England set a tricky target.
So, what exactly did Hartley do differently which his Indian counterparts with illustrious credentials couldn’t? Obviously, he got the chance to bowl in the fourth innings in Hyderabad when variable bounce had already become a factor. Besides, barring the 57-run eighth-wicket partnership between KS Bharat and Ashwin that had somewhat revived India’s hopes of a win, almost all the rest of the Indian batters seemed ultra-defensive against him.
But is that all? “Hartley’s seam-positioning was a little bit towards point. And when it hit the seam, he was able to extract sharper turn.
“On the contrary, the seam-positioning of Jadeja, in that second innings, was more towards slip. That’s one reason I feel he wasn’t too effective,” former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar told The Telegraph.
“Even a fuller ball that Hartley bowled to (Shubman) Gill turned, which is mainly due to the seam-positioning. Also, Hartley had found his loop, and his line and length were much better. He showed he’s a quick learner, proving his mental toughness as well.
“Going back to Jadeja, he did better in the first innings (in terms of seam-positioning), but in the second, he couldn’t quite.”
Panesar, instrumental alongside former off-spinner Graeme Swann during England’s 2-1 Test series win in India back in 2012, further explained: “It seems to be a problem with Indian spinners if the pitch becomes a bit slower and the ball gets softer. They struggle to get that purchase, something we saw particularly in the Hyderabad Test.”
Not getting enough chances for Lancashire in country cricket, Hartley had to hone his skills in The Hundred for Manchester Originals, learning how to bowl on flatter surfaces. That impressed the England team management before the Bazballers took a punt by picking him for the India tour.
But Hartley’s actual test begins now with the second Test in Visakhapatnam beginning on Friday. The red-soil and hard-clay pitch at the ACA-VDCA Stadium will be aiding the spinners again.
“Whatever worked for him in Hyderabad, Hartley needs to stick to that and stay clam. He has got to target the stumps and let (Ben) Stokes play with the field settings,” Panesar advised.
