Tom Hartley started his Test career going for a six against Yashasvi Jaiswal. He ended the IND vs ENG 1st Test with a historic seven-wicket haul on debut. Between those 248 deliveries, Tom Hartley became a Test cricketer where nothing comes easy. But despite going for 5.20 economy in first innings, Hartley found backing from Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as he powered England to a famous 28-run victory in Hyderabad.
“It’s unbelievable, will not sink in for a while to be honest. I don’t think there was a lot of help, I had to keep a cool head. It was a tough one (on the first innings bowling effort), it didn’t spin as much as I thought, and I had a chat with Stokes, McCullum and the team management. The dressing room has great vibes, it’s a fantastic dressing room, one of the best,” Tom Hartley after end of IND vs ENG 1st Test.
Best bowling figures on Test debut
- 8/64: Lance Klusener (SA), Kolkata 1996
- 8/215: Jason Krejza (AUS), Nagpur 2008
- 7/46: John Lever (ENG), Delhi 1976
- 7/62: Tom Hartley (ENG), Hyderabad 2024
- 7/124: Todd Murphy (AUS), Nagpur 2023
Tom Hartley credits batting for bowling turnaround
With trust from captain Ben Stokes, Tom Hartley turned things around. He bowled a little slower that helped him generate turn. But it was his batting on the surface that helped. He scored 23 in the first innings and 34 in the 2nd innings. And that helped him the demand of the pitch.
“Getting a few runs always helps. It also helped me get to know about the pitch a lot more. Just unbelievable to be honest. I didn’t have to bowl as fast as I thought, watching Ash and Jadeja, we knew we could take some time – change the length and the trajectory when we bowled for the second time,” Tom Hartley said.
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