India vs England: Brendon McCullum hails Tom Hartley, hints at playing four spinners in second Test

Still buzzing after their remarkable win in the first Test against India, the England head coach Brendon McCullum talked about handing Tom Hartley a debut in the format. The move to select Hartley in the playing XI proved to be a masterstroke as the left-arm spinner picked up seven wickets in the second essay of the opening Test against India.

Speaking on SENZ Radio, McCullum recalled Hartley’s remarkable debut and said that it was a risk to play him owing to his limited first-class experience. Though he was quick to add that the management was always confident about his abilities.

“We saw something in him that we thought will work over here. He is a tough character and the way skipper handled him was quite remarkable as well. He obviously bowled us to the Test win,” McCullum said.

It was not quite a good start by Hartley as he was taken to the cleaners in the first innings by Yashasvi Jaiswal. McCullum, however, praised the way England captain Ben Stokes handled Hartley and gave him an extended spell. He also drew a parallel to the way Australia took a punt on Nathan Lyon early in his career.

“When you see guys who are good enough and the conditions will suit them it is like horses for courses. You got to back your judgement on things like that. If you like the skillsets and the character you need to be brave with the selection call as well,” McCullum added.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, another uncapped player in the squad, is now available for selection. As per McCullum, they are quite open to fielding all four spinners—Jack Leach, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir—in the second Test.

“He, again like Tom Hartley, has little first-class experience but we thought his skill could help us in here. The guys gave him a huge cheer and he witnessed the Test win. He also come to calculation for the next Test match. We won’t be afraid to play all spinners if the wickets will turn more,” he said.

Having suffered a defeat in the opening Test against England, Team India will now be desperately looking for a win in the second game scheduled to start on 2 February.