With England set for a mammoth Test cricket series in India – one of the biggest feats in international cricket – uncapped Lancashire spinner Hartley has been included in the 16-man squad who will attempt to create history.
With Asia known as the spin continent of the world and with England known to have struggled facing spin and developing spinners, the inexperienced Hartley now has the opportunity of a lifetime.
Alongside Somerset spinner Shoaib Bashir, Hartley will make his Test debut for the three lions if he plays in any of the five tests in the series, a high certainty with just four spinners in England’s ranks and with pitches highly likely to turn.
However, both have particularly modest records in first-class cricket; Hartley with 40 wickets in 20 first-class games at an average of 36.57 for Lancashire and Bashir with 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 67.
It is clear England have taken a new approach to spin this time around, looking more towards players’ attributes than their experience.
But despite the obvious perils of such a decision, England’s track record with seamers Matthew Potts and Ollie Robinson does give an inclination that County Championship statistics aren’t always the full measure of a player.
At 6ft 4in, Hartley’s high release point should enable more drop and drift in his deliveries and bowling closer to 60mph than 50mph could prove a key point of difference to the spinners England have toured India with previously.
Likewise with 20-year-old Bashir, at 6ft 4in, he too can offer a high release point and legendary England spinner Graeme Swann believes his big hands should enable him to manipulate the ball, using a flux of variations in his bowling spells.
While mentoring the England Lions team who are out in India for a three-match series, Swann spoke to the Sky Sports’ Cricket podcast about the duo.
He said: “They can bowl, put it that way, and the guys that are on that trip in India, if conditions suit and they get the chance and they can handle the pressure of it, are genuinely exciting.
“They’re complete unknowns to the rest of the world so should they get the chance on the sort of pitch that we played India on last time in Ahmedabad, they could easily roll through any batting line-up in the world.”
England’s last outing in India in 2021 initially featured a particularly flat pitch resulting in a 227-run England victory before spinning pitches returned, with India’s 10-wicket victory at Ahmedabad lasting just 140.2 overs for the Test – a pitch which was deemed ‘average’ by the ICC.
However, the tour as a whole had players experiencing great difficulty in attempting to combat India’s spin bowling.
England failed to breach the 200-mark in six of their innings eight innings, with India’s Axar Patel one of the stars, claiming 27 wickets in Tests two, three and four after missing the first test, at an average of 10.59 and a strike rate of taking a wicket every 5 overs.
Coming off the back of a enthralling 2-2 Ashes series at home against the Australians, where England’s reliable Jack Leach was out injured, he is sure to be back front and centre in India. Given the consistency and work-rate he offers, Leach be practically guaranteed to play all five tests.
India have just dropped schedule for England's Test tour next year pic.twitter.com/iaup1nvLxC
— Will Macpherson (@willis_macp) July 25, 2023
In England’s historic series victory against Pakistan in 2021, where they won 3-0 including the miraculous win in Rawalpindi, Leach bowled a whopping 177.3 overs – 1,065 deliveries.
Capping off England’s spin attack is the young but highly promising Rehan Ahmed, who has already been embedded in England’s white-ball set-up and bowled his maiden five-wicket haul.
Just getting started 🌟
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 19, 2022
🇵🇰 #PAKvENG 🏴 pic.twitter.com/9jEy6WZcmp
Australia’s tour of India last year resulted in a 2-1 loss, with the hosts winning both of the last two games to secure the series win.
As expected, quality spin bowling proved essential, with India’s Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja topping the wicket charts, followed immediately in third and fourth by Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy.
Likewise, England’s youthful spin setup will be key.
But backed up by a seam attack of James Anderson, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson on test debut and Ollie Robinson, England travel with a multi-faceted attack, promising to test India in numerous ways.
England were the last team to beat India in India when they came from 1-0 down to win 2-1, with the fourth test drawn in 2013.
But back then England’s highest ever run-scorer, Alistair Cook, averaged a whopping 80.28 across eight innings in making 526 runs, with his 176 in Ahmedabad, 122 in Mumbai and 190 at Kolkata series highlights.
Not only will England need their youthful spinners to use their skills and take advantage of the conditions, but as in 2013, at least one of batsmen will need to take responsibility for England to challenge India.
In 2021, that person was Joe Root who averaged 46, making 368 runs across the series. But this time, under the Bazball regime of Stokes-McCullum, perhaps this time will be different to recent years.
The Ashes last year had comparisons to the famous 2005 series. Could this India tour have similarities to 2013?
The confidence required to pull the feat off will be there regardless, and England will go there with an impressive resume to back up their claims.
If nothing else, one thing is certain. They will never back down from their style of play and it will be box office viewing, even if it is a 4am start of play.
TNT Sports agree five-year deal for international cricket in India, which includes two England Test tours and one white ball tour.
— Matt Hughes (@MattHughesDM) January 17, 2024
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