NEW DELHI:
Tom Hartley
, the uncapped young spinner, acknowledges that
England
has taken a bit of a risk by selecting him for the Test tour of India. However, he believes that the playing conditions will favor his style of bowling, and he is determined to meet the expectations placed upon him.
The 24-year-old Hartley is a left-arm spinner and part of the 16-member squad chosen by the England board for the five-Test series against India, set to commence in Hyderabad on January 25.
Despite the perceived risk in his selection, Hartley is confident in his abilities and aims to make a positive impact during the series in conditions that he feels will be suitable for his style of spin bowling.
"With the conditions being completely different to English conditions, they've really analysed what has done well in India and what will do well," Hartley told the PA news agency.
"It's nice to see people recognise that I might be the bowler to go out in India and do well. When people have confidence in you like that, it's fantastic.
"I just feel all that confidence has been passed on to me and I can't wait to go out there. My stats might not be the best in championship cricket but I bowl very similar to Axar and Jadeja.
"They're taking a bit of a punt but I feel like I've proved myself in the training camps that I've been on and I deserve to get a go."
Hartley, who claimed 19 wickets in the
County Championship
last year, is yet to make his Test debut but has participated in two ODIs for England. Drawing on his white-ball experience, Hartley is optimistic about his ability to perform well in the subcontinent conditions during the upcoming Test series against India.
"Although I haven't played much cricket out there, I'm going with a feeling of what I need to bowl. I see a lot of similarities between my white-ball bowling here and red-ball bowling out there," he said.
"I feel like the pace, the revs you want to put on it and the shape of the ball will be very similar to white-ball areas – you just want to bowl that little bit fuller.
"As much as Indian batters are good players of spin, the conditions should be in my favour. You've just got to try not to over-complicate things and keep things simple and keep the stumps in play.
"India's spinners are great but can we perform as well as them. There will be a lot of fight in us. I won't be playing as a frontline spinner, so there won't be tons of pressure on me."
Hartley is one of the four specialist spinners selected by England for the Test tour of India. The other spinners in the squad include
Jack Leach
,
Rehan Ahmed
, and the uncapped
Shoaib Bashir
.
The inclusion of multiple spin options in the squad indicates England's recognition of the spin-friendly conditions they are likely to encounter during the Test series in India.
The variety in the spin department provides England with different options and strategies to adapt to the challenges posed by Indian pitches.
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·