Tom Hartley ready to perform in India: I bowl like Jadeja and Axar

Listen to Story Young England left arm spinner Tom Hartley is ready to take on the challenge of Indian pitches with a bowling style reminiscent of local spin maestros Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. for the five match Test series starting January 25 in Hyderabad, acknowledges the stark contrast between English and Indian conditions but is buoyed by the faith shown in his abilities.

The young spinner is set to play a supporting role rather than as a frontline spinner, which he feels reduces the pressure on him, allowing him to focus on simplicity and effectiveness. Hartley's strategy is to keep things uncomplicated, aiming to maintain the stumps in play and leverage the conditions that traditionally favor spinners.

"With the conditions being completely different to English conditions, they've really analysed what has done well in India and what will do well. 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," Hartley told the PA news agency.

Despite modest statistics in the previous year's County Championship, where he took 19 wickets at an average of 44.84, Hartley's potential to exploit spinner friendly surfaces has not gone unnoticed. The 24 year old left arm spinner believes that his performance in training camps justifies the selectors' decision to include him in the squad, viewing it as a calculated risk or "a bit of a punt" on England's part.

Hartley's approach to bowling in India is informed by his experience with white ball cricket back home. He anticipates that the pace, revolutions, and trajectory required in India will align closely with his white ball bowling techniques, albeit with a slightly fuller length. His towering 6ft 4in stature could also lend him an advantage, potentially offering extra bounce to trouble the batsmen.

"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. 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.

With guidance from former England spinner Graeme Swann, Hartley is preparing to face top Indian batsmen like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He emphasizes the importance of staying relaxed and minimizing emotional responses during play, although he's not shy about speaking his mind when the situation calls for it..