Tom Hartley had plenty of records to showcase at the end of the first Test of the ongoing series between India and England in Hyderabad. He was the cynosure of all eyes as he ran through the power-packed Indian batting line-up on the fourth day of the match to return figures of 7/62, to ensure that his side bested the hosts by 28 runs in a closely contested game. He dismissed captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubhman Gill - the top three in the Indian batting order - and then returned to break a dangerous partnership for eighth wicket by dismissing Srikar Bharat, with a peach of a delivery. It was only in the fitness of things that he dismissed Mohammad Siraj, the last Indian batsman, to ring in an upset win for the visitors. With this bowling, Hartley also ended up with the second best figures for an English debutant after James Langridge, who took 7/56 against the West Indies at Old Trafford in 1933.
However, it was not a path of roses for Hartley in the run up to the Test. He was selected to the side as the understudy to the more experienced Jack Leach but was pitchforked to position of leading spinner by a curious turn of circumstances. He had played only 21 first-class matches during the three years since his debut in 2020, with only one five-wicket haul against his name. Neither did he do anything spectacular in the couple of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) that he played against Ireland. If the Indian batsmen thought that he was a bit of a pretender, they could not be blamed for this tall left-arm spinner did not have impressive performances under his belt when skipper Ben Stokes announced that Hartley would be part of a three pronged spin attack for the first Test.
It was a baptism by fire for Hartley on the first day of this match. After smashing 23 runs in 24 balls, which included a six off Ravichandran Ashwin, Hartley was asked to share the new ball with Mark Wood. Statisticians immediately noted that this was the first time since 1921 that a spin bowler opened the attack for England on his debut. His first ball was struck over long on for a six by Yashasvi Jaiswal and another similar helping followed six deliveries later. Hartley’s first three overs cost the side 33 runs and he ended up the day conceding 63 runs in the 9 overs he bowled.
The six off the first ball again sent the statisticians into a frenzy. It was found that there were only three instances where a bowler was hit for a six off the first ball he bowled in Test cricket. The first bowler to suffer this ignominy was W V Raman of India, who was struck for a six by West Indian tailender Winston Benjamin in the Chennai Test of 1988. The two other bowlers who have faced this situation are Sohag Gazi of Bangladesh and Faf du Plessis of South Africa, with both incidents taking place in November, 2012. But, as could be seen, Hartley is the only specialist bowler amongst the four, since Raman and Gazi fall under the category of all -rounders and du Plessis is a specialist batsman.
The silver lining for him on this otherwise dark day was the faith shown by Stokes, who persisted with him and allowed him to settle in. He commanded more respect on the second day and was finally rewarded with the wickets of Shubhman Gill and K L Rahul. He conceded only 68 runs in the 16 overs that he sent down on second and third days. The final figures of 25 overs, 131 runs and 2 wickets were not flattering by any stretch of imagination but they were not bad either, considering the fact that this was his first Test and he could manage to salvage pride after the initial pummelling that he received.
Plenty of ink has been spent describing Hartley’s standout performance during the Indian second innings. However, in the rush to praise his bowling, it should not be forgotten that he had partnered Ollie Pope in a crucial 80-run stand for the eighth wicket in England second innings. The fact that his dismissal was followed by those of Pope and last man Mark Wood in quick succession stands as evidence for the difficulties in batting on the pitch that offered turn. With the benefit of hindsight, one can state that it was this eighth-wicket partnership that swung the game decisively in favour of the visitors.
Another piece of interesting information that has come to light is that three spin bowlers from England had five-wicket hauls on their Test debut during the last 15 months. The first was Will Jacks, the off-spinner who picked up 6/161 in the first Test of the series against Pakistan, which was played at Rawalpindi. However, Jacks has taken part in only one Test since. The second is Rehan Ahmed, the leg-spinner, who at 18 years and 126 days became the youngest cricketer to turn out for England in a Test. And he chose to make this occasion even more memorable by returning seven wickets, which included figures of 5/48 in the second innings. Incidentally, Ahmed too played in the Hyderabad Test. but could pick up only a couple of wickets.
It is not a coincidence that all the three spinners accomplished this feat when playing under Stokes. Though himself a fast bowler with close to 200 wickets in Tests, Stokes has been a very supportive skipper for the spinners. He has understood the importance of backing them and allowing them time to fine their groove and settle down into it. He does not rush them nor does he bring them under pressure by setting overly attacking fields. Stokes knew that none of these rookie spin bowlers had sufficient experience of bowling long spells in first-class cricket. In fact, none of therm had more than one five-wicket haul at the first-class level. However, these minor details did not deter Stokes from placing trust and confidence in the ability of his spinnees to deliver the goods when needed. This level of inspirational captaincy has been one of the features of the Bazaball cricket that England is currently playing with a great degree of success.
The ongoing second Test has seen Shoaib Bashir, a 20-year-old off-spinner, make his debut for England. Bashir’s inclusion in the touring side surprised many as he has played only six first-class matches, with a total of only 10 wickets to his credit, and does not boast of even a single five-wicket haul. He is 6 feet 4 inches tall, which makes him one of the tallest spinners in international circuit. It has been reported that it was the height from which he released the ball that caught the attention of the team management and the selectors. If Bashir is lucky to win the nod of selectors for a place in the England squad, he is even more fortunate to have Stokes at the helm while making his debut as he can be assured of the unstinted support and confidence of his captain.
It is not coincidental that, like Bashir, Hartley also stands 1.93 metres tall. The selection of two bowlers who are low on experience but release the ball from close to 8 feet points to a carefully thought out strategy by Stokes and company. A cricket ball released from a greater height is likely to grip the turf more when it pitches there and can extract more turn that one sent from a lower elevation. The spin bowlers of the present generation do not give ball plenty of air like Erapalli Prasanna; instead they try to extract more turn in the manner of S Venkataraghavan and this aspect is helped by release from a higher point.
It remains to be seen whether the strategy of employing rookie spin bowlers on Indian tracks, solely based on their ability to release the ball from a higher elevation will help England win the series. The bowlers will need to learn quickly on the job and make necessary changes and improve their bowling styles depending on the need of the hour. Hartley found more success coming his way after he slowed down his approach to the wicket in the run up, which helped him to settle down into a better rhythm in the second innings. Bashir and Ahmed will have to improve and innovate in a similar manner to find success on a regular basis in the Indian subcontinent.
It must have taken the team management plenty of guts to pitchfork two young bowlers into the rough and tumble world of Test cricket in successive matches. The trio of Bashir, Hartley and Ahmed will, under the leadership of Jack Leach, form the pivot around which the England attack revolves, if India sticks with the policy of laying down tailor-made turning tracks. Their ability to force the Indian batsmen on the back-foot is certain to play as big a role as the capacity of Bazball mindset to triumph over the challenge posed by the Indian bowlers in home conditions, in deciding the result of this series.
(The author is a former international cricket umpire and a senior bureaucrat)
