England’s left-arm spinner Tom Hartley endured a torrid time in the recently concluded Test series against India, conceding the second-highest runs by a visiting bowler in a Test series against the subcontinent giants. Hartley’s tally of 795 runs conceded in the five-match series places him just behind his teammate Adil Rashid, who conceded 861 runs in the 2016 series.
Hartley’s struggles were a microcosm of England’s overall performance in the series, as they were comprehensively outplayed by a dominant Indian side. India’s victory in the fifth and final Test by an innings and 64 runs sealed a 4-1 series triumph, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 15 Tests.
The match itself was a testament to the gulf in class between the two teams. Ravichandran Ashwin, playing his 100th Test, claimed a five-wicket haul to dismantle England’s batting lineup. Zak Crawley top-scored for England with 79, but the rest of the batting order failed to provide substantial support.
Kuldeep Yadav and Ashwin were the standout bowlers for India, sharing nine wickets between them. In their first innings, India piled up a mammoth 477 runs, with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Devdutt Padikkal all scoring centuries.
England’s bowlers struggled to contain India’s batsmen throughout the series, with Shoaib Bashir being the only bowler to take more than five wickets. The English team’s inability to adapt to the challenging Indian conditions and the relentless pressure applied by the Indian bowlers proved to be their undoing.
Despite the disappointing result, England can take some solace in the performances of certain individuals. Crawley showed glimpses of his potential, while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root also made valuable contributions. However, the series highlighted the need for England to address their batting depth and find a way to counter the spin-friendly conditions in India.
