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Tom Hartley, an England spinner, makes a chastening Test debut against India
Tom Hartley, at the age of 24, experienced a highly challenging Test debut during the opening match against India. The England spinner faced a significant setback as he was consistently hit to all parts of the ground on the first day of the Test on Thursday.
In a unique approach, England, for the first time in men’s cricket, opted for a spin-heavy attack, featuring a sole fast bowler, Mark Wood. Alongside Wood, left-arm spinner Hartley was part of this strategy.
While many spinners dream of bowling in India’s spin-friendly conditions, it also poses a challenge as they have to compete against India’s agile and skillful batsmen, known for their adept handling of such bowling styles.
Hartley entered the series with 20 first-class matches under his belt and contributed a brief innings of 23 runs in England’s first-innings total of 246.
His bowling prowess, unfortunately, didn’t yield the desired results. Hartley could only watch as India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal effortlessly dispatched his inaugural ball in international cricket over the long-on boundary for a six. This unwelcome pattern continued, with Jaiswal repeating the feat four balls later, making it an utterly forgettable first over in test cricket for Hartley.
Jaiswal, known for his powerful hitting, particularly favored Hartley’s bowling, evident in his impressive innings of 76 not out off 70 balls.
As pundits discussed the rationale for persisting with Hartley, it was evident that he was visibly struggling under pressure, delivering half-volleys, long-hops, and even a couple of no-balls.
The nearest he came to achieving success was when England, thinking Hartley had caught Shubman Gill leg-before-wicket, contested the initial not-out decision. However, replays indicated that the ball would have cleared the stumps, and the decision to challenge it proved costly, as Ben Stokes and his team lost their third and final review.
Teammate Ben Duckett refuted the notion that they had exposed the debutant spinner to a challenging situation. When questioned about sympathizing with the spinner, who conceded 63 runs in nine wicketless overs, Duckett stated, “No, not at all. We have confidence in Tommy to bounce back.”
Duckett highlighted Stokes’s approach, emphasizing that while other captains might remove a bowler after a couple of overs, Stokes continues to give him opportunities. According to Duckett, Stokes persists with him, and there was a close call with Shubman towards the end of the innings.
