Dinesh Karthik thinks that the fact that the team won the recently ended Hyderabad Test against India was largely attributed to Ben Stokes‘ strategy of supporting debutant spinner Tom Hartley. He believed that if England had lost the Test, things may have turned out differently. Tom Hartley‘s unremarkable bowling in India’s first inning earned him a lot of criticism.
Ben Stokes continued to work with the young player in spite of his difficulties, regularly giving him extended spells. As the visitors finished with a historic 28-run triumph, Hartley made redemption by taking seven wickets in the fourth inning.
Ben Stokes has observed what Rohit Sharma has done and kind of followed through a little bit with his fields- Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik made the following remarks regarding Stokes’ choice of backing Tom Hartley during a Cricbuzz discussion. Karthik also mentioned how Stokes and Hartley watched India’s performance and modified their strategies accordingly.
“The difference between being foolish and being brave, a lot of the time, becomes the result. What Ben Stokes has done is observe what Rohit Sharma has done and kind of followed through a little bit with his fields. But what Tom Hartley did was the opposite,” Karthik said,
“When he was batting, he observed what Ravindra Jadeja was doing and realised that that’s not what he wants to do. It was easier to bat when people were bowling faster, so he slowed his pace.” Karthik added.
On his debut, Tom Hartley took nine wickets in two innings. In England’s second inning, he made a significant contribution with the bat as well, scoring 34 runs.
This is going to be a landmark moment in English Test history – Dinesh Karthik on England’s win in Hyderabad
Dinesh Karthik went on to say that, considering that Ben Stokes and co. started the Test series with their backs against the wall, England’s triumph against India in Hyderabad was a huge accomplishment.
Noting that England overcame multiple obstacles to emerge victorious, the cricketer-commentator went on to say that:
This is going to be a landmark and a watershed moment in English Test history because, coming to India, being so far back, with the kind of spinners that they had, and with the main bowler being hamstrung and can’t bowl long spells. To take everything into account, what they have achieved is nothing short of unreal,”
The Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam will host the second Test between the two heavyweights of cricket from February 2–6.
Also Read: IND vs ENG: “I Am Confident of ICC Trophy Win Despite Past Setbacks”- Rohit Sharma
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