"He's not the first, and he won't be the last" - Tom Hartley opens up about being smashed for first-ball 6 by Yashasvi Jaiswal on Test debut
England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley detailed his thought process after being smashed for a maximum off his first delivery in Test cricket against India in Hyderabad.
After the visitors scored 246 in their first innings, Hartley bowled the second over of their bowling stint in the final session of Day 1. The 24-year-old was slog-swept over deep mid-wicket by young Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal off his maiden delivery and even conceded another six in the same over.
Talking after the first Test about his mentality then, Hartley was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying:
"He's not the first, and he won't be the last! As a spinner, people are going to come after you. I'm fine with it if people want to come after me. I sort of have to go into a different mind-set. You look back at the ball and you think it wasn't a bad ball. If that's the way they want to play, you've just got to play with it."
However, Hartley scripted a remarkable turnaround from his woeful first innings showing to almost single-handedly bowl India out in the final innings.
He spoke about the changes incorporated between the two innings based on a suggestion by assistant coach Jeetan Patel.
"When you're playing for the first time you just run up that bit quick. And you think, well, just slow things down, let your action do the work. When I run in quick, I just tend to lose my action a bit. I just slowed it down and kept it simple, and it seemed to work," he said.
After giving away 131 runs in 25 overs in the first innings for only two wickets, Hartley produced a spell of 7/62 in the following innings to help England pull off a sensational win.
Despite trailing by 190 after the first essay, England rebounded to emerge victorious by 28 runs and take a 1-0 series lead.
"They bring so much confidence and life to this team" - Tom Hartley on the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum duo
Tom Hartley praised the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum duo for their readiness to be innovative and instilling the utmost confidence in the English players.
After a horrific period in Test cricket, the duo took over as captain and coach in mid-2022, and the side hasn't looked back since. England have won 14 of the 19 Tests and are yet to lose a series under their helm.
"I've watched a bit, and they've done some rogue things. That's just the way they are, and after being in this Test match, I'm all aboard. Even before, I was happy with it, I was all in anyway. They're just such a great combo and they bring so much confidence and life to this team," Hartley said.
The left-arm spinner also admitted to thinking he would have limited game time on the Indian tour but welcomed the prospect of playing a bigger role.
"Coming out here, I was just looking to get a game or a couple of games. I might have a big role, but I'm more than ready for that. I want more of it," he concluded.
Apart from his incredible second innings bowling performance, the youngster also impressed with the bat, scoring 23 and 34 in the two innings.
The second India-England Test will be played at Visakhapatnam, starting February 2.