- By Stefan Shemilt
- Chief Cricket Writer in Dharamsala
image source, Getty Images
Lancashire’s Tom Hartley is the leading wicket-taker in the India-England Test series
India vs England, Fifth Test |
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Meeting point: Himachal Pradesh CA Stadium, Dharmsala Dates: March 7-11 Year: 04:00 GMT |
Cover: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app, with daily special Test Match podcasts on BBC Sounds |
England spinner Tom Hartley hopes Nathan Lyon’s arrival in Lancashire can be a game changer for his bowling.
Hartley, 24, had an important run on England’s tour of India but looks set to be second-choice behind Lyon in Lancashire in the summer.
“He’s someone I want to try and emulate,” Hartley told BBC Sport.
“To be an international cricketer you have to be able to play in different conditions and Nathan is a guy who can really help me.”
Left-armer Hartley played only 20 first-class matches before making his Test debut in the first match of the series in India.
After four Tests, Hartley is the leading wicket-taker on either side with 20 victims. His match-winning 7-62 in the first game of the series were the best figures by an England spinner on Test debut for 91 years.
England manager Brendon McCullum said it will be a “disappointment” if Hartley and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who also had a successful debut tour, are not given opportunities in county cricket.
Lancashire signed the Australian Lyon, one of the best fingers of all time, long before this tour. The 36-year-old, who is seventh on the list of leading wicket-takers in Test cricket with 527, is available for the entire summer.
New Lancashire boss Dale Benkenstein said it will be “difficult” to fit both men into the side but it’s a “nice headache”.
And Hartley is looking at the positive opportunity to learn from Lyon, rather than the potential negative of being forced out of the starting XI.
“People have a different mindset,” Hartley said. “Hopefully he’ll be fantastic for me and really change the game.
“Obviously signing another spinner, you think about it a bit. The type of bowler is something I’m trying to work on.
“The way it works in Australia on fairly level wickets, there are times when the English wickets are quite similar. It will be great for him to learn.”
Hartley also believes the confidence he has gained in India will help him compete with Lyon if there is only one place available in the Lancashire squad.
“I hadn’t really played a lot of red-ball cricket but coming here made me believe that I have the talent for it and can perform at this level,” he said.
“When I go out on the field, I really try and believe and think I can do well. It’s not just a case of bowling and hoping the batter goes one or trying to go two or three one over. It’s it was a complete change of mentality.”
England, 3-1 down and unable to win the series, arrived for Thursday’s fifth Test in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Rain on Sunday led to Monday’s practice being cancelled, but the weather was clear and sunny, allowing some of the players to explore the Himalayan city.
The fifth Test will attract the biggest travel support of the series. Cold temperatures are expected at the end of the Indian winter, with a chance of rain on the first day.
England could play for the first time in the series with three front-rowers, leaving Hartley and Bashir to compete for the starting position in the side.
If England play with three men, they must decide whether to keep faith with Ollie Robinson, who had a difficult return to the side in the fourth Test defeat in Ranchi, or hand a debut to Surrey’s Gus Atkinson.
Batter Jonny Bairstow will play his 100th Test, with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also in line to reach the same milestone.