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England's debutant spinner Tom Hartley faced a formidable challenge as Yashasvi Jaiswal dominated him on the first day of the match in Hyderabad. Jaiswal showcased his dominance by hitting a six off the very first ball bowled by Hartley.
Struggling with nerves, Hartley consistently faltered in his line and length throughout the opening day. Despite the difficulties, captain Ben Stokes showed support by keeping Hartley in the attack for the initial 20 overs of the Indian innings. However, Hartley's performance on Day 1 left much to be desired, as he bowled nine overs and conceded 63 runs. Some observers were surprised by Stokes' persistence, leading to speculation that the captain might have been strategically exposing the young bowler to the left-handed Jaiswal.
At the end of Day 1 of the Test match, Michael Atherton, a former England cricketer, elucidated on Stokes' decision, stating that the captain fully supports his players.
"It is very much the Stokes way. He backs his players to the absolute hilt," Atherton said on Sky Sports after Day 1 of the Test match.
Atherton expressed his lack of surprise regarding Stokes' decision, noting that despite the scorecard reflecting otherwise, Hartley had actually bowled well on his debut.
"There is absolutely no surprise there [that he kept Hartley on]. Hartley didn't bowl that badly actually," Atherton said.
"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," he further added.
Commentating on Day 1 of the Test match, Murali Karthik observed that Hartley began well by maintaining a good length, but his confidence was rattled by Yashasvi Jaiswal's six. Atherton added that he would prefer to witness Joe Root bowling early in the morning on Day 2 of the Test match.
Atherton Wants Joe Root
"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," Atherton said
"Last time in India, Root was the only spinner to take five wickets," he further added on Root.
"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," Atherton said.
"They have to stay competitive. Even if they concede a lead it can't be too big a lead so it is a very important first session, then afternoon session tomorrow," concluded the former cricketer.
On Day 2 of the Test match, England had a promising start, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal early after he scored 80 runs. Root, taking the ball in hand, immediately made an impact in the first over. Although Root had the opportunity to take the wicket of KL Rahul, a straightforward chance was dropped by Ben Foakes while keeping wickets.
Batting at No. 4 for India, KL Rahul initially had a nervous start, but after facing five balls, he shifted to an aggressive approach. As of the current moment, India stands at 145/2 after 30 overs.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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