Debutant Tom Hartley has delivered one of the greatest overseas wins in England’s cricketing annals, claiming a magnificent seven to down India in the first Test at Hyderabad and complete a classic comeback.
Earlier in the match Hartley had seen his first ball as a Test cricketer launched for six, but he showed huge reserves of steel to bounce back on Sunday with stunning figures of 7-62 in the fourth innings to seal a dramatic 28-run victory.
The unheralded 24-year-old, selected for this trip as a hunch pick, left a hero after he wrapped up the last wicket in the final over of the fourth day.
England looked on course for a thumping defeat after conceding a 190-run first-innings deficit but refused to back down with bat or ball and condemned India to just a fourth home defeat in over a decade.
Ollie Pope provided the platform with a heroic 196, leaving India with a tough chase of 231 on a worn pitch, and with lead spinner Jack Leach restricted by a knee injury Hartley stepped up, unforgettably.
India, all out for 202 in an extended final session, showed resistance, as Ravichandran Ashwin (28) and Srikar Bharat (28) added 57 for the eighth wicket, but it was not enough.
Hartley beamed afterwards: “It’s unbelievable, it’s not going to sink in for a while I think. I’m over the moon to be honest.
“It was really tough out there, it didn’t spin quite as much as we thought (in the first innings) but testament to Stokesy (captain Ben Stokes), Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) and the coaches, they really got around me and I lost no confidence really.”
“Incredibly proud,” Stokes added, after what was a record-breaking turnaround for any visiting team coming back from a deficit to beat India at home. Australia’s win after turning around a 65-run deficit back in Chennai in 1964 was the previous best.
“Before the series started, we knew how much of a beast India are at home but the way we responded to being so far behind, it was testament to everything we have said and lived and breathed over the last two years.”
The second match of the five-Test series, in Visakhapatnam, begins on Friday.
England, having already conceded a chunky lead, had risked defeat inside three days when slumping to 6-163 on Saturday.
But England vice-captain Pope went on to conjure up one of the finest knocks by a visiting batter as his team roared back.
Pope’s knock, spread over six-and-a-half hours, was a masterclass, while Rehan Ahmed (28), playing his second Test, and Hartley, who looked just as capable with the bat in his invaluable knock of 34, also frustrated India.
“To come here to India, toughest place as a batter, and put in a winning performance, it’s head and shoulders above the rest,” Pope said after collecting the player-of-the-match award.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Pope continued to hurt the hosts even as a close-in fielder as Hartley ran through the Indian batting line-up.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (15) stepped out to flick him to short leg and, two balls later, Shubman Gill perished at silly point with Pope taking both catches.
Rohit Sharma (39) had looked assured at the other end but Hartley dismissed him lbw to reduce India to 3-62.
Rahul (22) and Axar Patel (17) briefly resisted England, who took charge after a tumbling Stokes brilliantly ran out Ravindra Jadeja with a backhanded flick from mid-on.
Hartley fittingly sealed England’s win when he had Mohammed Siraj stumped.
“I definitely thought 230 was gettable. There wasn’t loads in the pitch but we just didn’t bat well enough,” a dejected Rohit said.
Stokes has hailed England’s heroes of Hyderabad after claiming his “greatest triumph” since becoming Test captain.
Stokes has overseen some outstanding victories since taking charge almost two years ago – with record run chases at home, a historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan and a thrilling Ashes contest last summer – but now he has a new favourite.
Facing an India side who had lost just three times on their own patch in the past decade, England somehow turned a 190-run first-innings deficit into a jaw-dropping 28-run win on Sunday.
The biggest lead any touring team had ever previously overturned in India was just 65 – by Australia in Chennai, all the way back in 1964.
Stokes’ vice-captain Pope was player of the match, saving the game with a stunning knock of 196, while debutant Hartley forced the win with fourth-innings figures of 7-62.
Reflecting on an unforgettable turnaround at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Stokes said: “Since I’ve been captain this is definitely the number one win.
“We’ve been part of some amazing games over the last few years, had some incredible victories, but considering where we are and who we are playing against, this is 100 per cent definitely our greatest triumph.
“The thing about winning is you obviously want to give the praise to the people who deserve it. This week two people in particular – Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley, amazing match-winning performances.”
Hartley’s contribution must have been particularly satisfying for Stokes, who went out of his way to support the newcomer after a tough start to his Test career.
After seeing the left-arm spinner’s first ball hit for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal at the start of a costly opening spell, Stokes could have tried to shield him from further damage.
Instead he gave him a long spell and plenty of support, and went back to him again frequently.
That faith came good when it mattered most, as Hartley ran through India to scupper their chase.
Pope’s ears have been ringing for the past 24 hours with praise, with England’s sub-continental master Joe Root declaring his century an “absolute masterclass” and India coach Rahul Dravid – one of the finest players of his generation – rating it as the best example of sweeping and reverse-sweeping he had ever witnessed.
Improbably, this was his first competitive outing for six months after undergoing surgery for a dislocated shoulder.
“There’s been some long days in the gym, but these moments make everything worth it,” he said.
“I’ve felt really good but it was about getting my head around putting a big innings together. Fortunately for me that happened and with the win it means a hell of a lot more.”
England’s route to victory was all the more difficult given the knee injury which kept first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a reduced role. He still took 1-33 as he battled soreness, bruising and swelling.
“He is an absolute legend who epitomises what I want everyone’s focus to be on, which is the team above individual success,” said Stokes.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
These problems really are not that big a deal. There is loads of space on a cricket ground. I am sure that two people can manage to stay out of one other person’s way. Slightly wider sightscreens exist. Build more. Maybe in lower levels where cost is a concern, the bowler does has to nominate where he will bowl the ball from.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Bumrah was not regaining his balance though, was he? Neither was the guy that Bairstow stumped.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
And what about poor old Unattended Consequences?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Funny thing, neither did Australia
FunBus
Roar Rookie
India are coming to come back hard. Interesting will be what the Indian ground staff are told to do with the pitch
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Hi Opeo, Beware the law of unintended consequences, including when PCs for ICC-level games are replicated at lower levels. Narrow sightscreens can't cover both sides of the wicket simultaneously. Noting that CA's domestic PCs allow mobile ones to be just 6 metres wide ie to cover one side only therefore needing to be moved regularly. Slow bowlers changing to around the wicket can need the umpire to move further back, to allow them more room to pass between the umpire and the stumps. Plus, they can place their front foot, and release the ball, from well outside the return crease- where the non-striker is standing, and very near to the crease if the match pitch is on the edge of the square.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
There non-striking batsman just has to stand outside the return creases. They will not get in the way. The bowler has to work around the umpire. They stay in same spot regardless of where the ball is bowled from, right? The sightscreens rarely, if ever, need to be moves when bowlers change between over the wicket and around the wicket.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Bowlers changing from one side of the stumps to the other without warning will play havoc with non-strikers, bowlers' end umpires, and sightscreen positions.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
If an opposing batsman continually switch-hits/reverse-sweeps/swaps stance, how is it possible to accurately instruct groundstaff on what line of the pitch to prepare using razor blades and wire brushes ?
Tufanooo
Roar Rookie
Remember the days when India had red-ball guys scoring 300s that couldn’t really get a run in the national setup. Guys like Karun Nair They still do. 2 triple centuries were scored last week. One was on a day when 700 runs were scored in a day by the two teams. The difference is that the Ranji Trophy is now of such laughably poor quality that a 300 means nothing. One guy last week helped himself to a run a ball 360 with 25 sixes on a ground that was smaller than a backyard. Tbf, that was in the Ranji plate but that's still recorded as a first class match. I think the BCCI know that the Ranji Trophy is a bit of a joke (I mean, Jadeja has THREE triple centuries in it) and any batsman that averages 60+ in first class cricket in India is probably at best a mid 30's test batsman (like Shubman Gill). Prithvi Shaw has a best score of 379 for goodness sake. 15 batsmen last year averaged over 60 in the trophy, and they all played enough cricket for it to not be an anomaly average. Put it another way: 4 players in the starting Indian line up have hit triple centuries in FC cricket. No present Englishman has, no present Australian either. They are meant to be hard to get. They are meant to be the crowning achievement in a career. So, you have a weak Ranji Trophy coupled with the bigger issue: the polar opposite conditions that the players face when they do make the international team. You've got players that are feasting on runs on flat tracks in the Ranji trophy and then getting absolutely murdered in their tests when the home decks for tests are raging turners. It's why India really should avoid preparing turning decks. It might backfire on them (and it generally does once a series). They no longer have the cattle equipped to handle a spinning ball either.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Murphy, O’Keefe and Lyon are good spinners. The spinners that England took, other than Leach, have relatively ordinary first-class records. Krezja was an ordinary bowler in the Shield and his test record was ordinary too: 13 wickets at 43 .
jammel
Roar Rookie
Yes, I think Iyer would have to play then.... I think England would fancy their changes against anyone, anywhere...it's the bazball mindset! You've got to be impressed by that English win! I was cheering for India, but England were very impressive.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Yep, very much looking forward to next Friday. I'm guessing Shreyas would play in place of Rahul in the XI you named? That would have to be the most inexperienced batting lineup India's fielded for years, assuming it is the one they choose. The Poms would fancy their chances at going 2 up I reckon.
jammel
Roar Rookie
SKhan was the batsmen I was trying to remember! I think he should play. Wow - I hadn't heard that KL was injured! That's a massive loss. Washington Sundar is quality too. He will help to bolster the batting. India could field an XI like this!: RohitC Jaiswal KLRahul Gill SKhan Axar Bharat+ Sundar Ashwin Kuldeep Bumrah Very interesting stuff. I hear the Second Test starts on Friday so looking forward to it!
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I was just reading another story that said both Rahul and Jadeja are out of the next Test with injury. If you include Kohli, Shami and Pant, that's a lot of quality players out of their XI. Where that leaves selections for India, I have no idea. Apparently Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar have been included in the squad. I'm guessing they'll want to stiffen the batting, which could mean leaving out Siraj, playing Sundar as well as Sarfaraz and another guy, Patidar, who I gather is not a bad bat. I'm also guessing the next pitch won't be as tame as Ahmedabad, so playing the 3 spinners are you suggest must be on the cards.
Nine out of ten
Roar Rookie
The Poms, eh? what a side!
Nine out of ten
Roar Rookie
Look. I'm not going to pontificate, but Pope was infallible. I certainly give him my blessing to continue playing like that....
jammel
Roar Rookie
That's what it is shaping up as!! It should be a great series, but Australia and England are both still playing traditional Test cricket. Which I applaud. I still back us this time around on the home decks. But with India now having more quality in the pace department, I think 2-1 or 3-1 is most likely. I'm not too confident on that though. One Indian that does worry me greatly is Axar. I think he's like their 4th or 5th best bat. And such a quality spinner too!
jammel
Roar Rookie
Agreed Bush. And the likes of Iyer + SKY just seem more like white-ball specialists. Remember the days when India had red-ball guys scoring 300s that couldn't really get a run in the national setup. Guys like Karun Nair. I've always assumed that India had 10 or 15 quality Test bats in the wings. But maybe it isn't in fact the case....
jammel
Roar Rookie
Assuming India call for wickets that spin as much if not more, I think they need to play only 1 quick - Bumrah. Siraj just wasn't called on enough. They need to focus on improving the batting. I'd have faith in Gill but maybe he moves to #4 for the Second Test. KL to three. Iyer is the one I'd drop - he looks too tentative atm. Surely one of their reserves is in better nick rn?! There doesn't appear to be a reserve bat in the indian squad atm other than Dhruv Jurel - and he is a wk/bat. So not sure how they really bolster the batting. Moving Axar up the order sounds good. But if Jadeja is injured, maybe a specialist bat is needed asap? Of course, enhancing the spinning deck might just continue to help England.....