Cricketer-turned-commentator Michael Atherton explained about England captain’s decision to persist with the debutant Tom Hartley with the new ball despite Yashasvi Jaiswal attacking him throughout his opening spell on Thursday. The Left-arm spinner had a tough outing with the first spell in test cricket against the quality Indian openers.
During the first day of the first Test match in Hyderabad, Yashasvi Jaiswal dominated England’s debutant spinner, Tom Hartley. The Southpaw hit Hartley for a six off the first ball, which made the left-arm spinner appear nervous and make mistakes with his lines and lengths throughout the first day.
Speaking at the end of Day 1 play, Michael Atherton spoke about Ben Stokes’s decision to back his players in the tough situations and feels that the debutant didn’t bowl badly on his opening spell and that it was the masterclass of Jaiswal to take on the left-arm spinner for the word-go in home conditions.
“It is very much the Stokes way. He backs his players to the absolute hilt. There is absolutely no surprise there [that he kept Hartley on]. Hartley didn’t bowl that badly actually, This wasn’t a case of a young spinner struggling with nerves on debut, he actually bowled OK, it was just Jaiswal really took the attack to him,” Michael Atherton said.
England captain Ben Stokes stuck with Tom Hartley through the first 20 overs of the Indian innings. The 24-year-old bowled for 9 overs on Day 1 of the Test match and conceded 63 runs in return. Some people were surprised by Stokes’ decision to stick with Hartley, despite having experienced Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root on the side.
I Am Sure At Some Point Ben Stokes Will Want To See Joe Root Have A Crack – Michael Atherton
Michael Atherton suggested that Joe Root should bowl early in the morning on Day 2 of the Test and believes that England cannot allow India to take control of the game in the next two sessions, as they could get away with the first game. He also thinks that the Indian spinners could become more effective as the game progresses.
“It is perfectly fine for Stokes to show faith with Hartley, but I am sure at some point he will want to see (Joe) Root have a crack at the left-hander. Last time in India, Root was the only spinner to take five wickets.
“What England can’t afford is for India to have two good sessions and get ahead of the game. Then it becomes quite difficult for England given that you would expect the pitch to spin later in the game, and the quality of India’s spinners compared to England,” Michael Atherton added.
Meanwhile, on Day 2, Joe Root dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the opening over with a terrific tossed-up delivery that dipped in the air. Jaiswal tried to drive but got a thick inside edge and the ball went straight back to Root, who completed the catch with both hands after timing his jump perfectly.
