James Anderson, England pacer has opened up on the short-ball barrage he faced from Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test against India at Lord’s. James Anderson said it was probably the first time in his career that he felt a bowler was not trying to get him out.
The Indian pacers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, went after England No.11 when he came out to bat on Day 3 of the Test. That led to flaring of tempers between the players of both teams for the remainder of the match, which the visitors won by 151 runs.
James Anderson Caught Off Guard After Receiving Several Bouncers From Jasprit Bumrah
The England pacer admitted that he was caught off guard following feedback about the pitch he had received before he came out to bat. James Anderson’s fellow batters had told him that the pitch was slow and Jasprit Bumrah was not at his quickest. Speaking on the Tailenders podcast, James Anderson said he was taken aback as Jasprit Bumrah bowled a barrage of bouncers to him.
“I got caught off guard a little bit because all the batters coming in were saying how slow the pitch was,” said Anderson. “Banged in short; it was really slow. When I came out to bat, Joe said Bumrah was not bowling as quick as he normally does. And then, the first ball was 90 miles an hour and on the money, wasn’t it? And it felt like, I haven’t felt like this ever in my career. I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out.”
James Anderson reflected on the long over Jasprit Bumrah bowled that involved multiple no-balls as he struggled to survive that spell.
“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out. He bowled an over, maybe 10, 11, 12 balls. He was bowling no-ball after no-ball, bowling short. I think he bowled two on the stumps which I managed to dig out. So for me, it was just about trying to survive that and get Joe back on strike.”
James Anderson: England Took The Emotion Out
However, James Anderson reckons that England took the emotion out and tried to focus on dismissing India cheaply during the visitors’ second innings.
“Potentially the emotion can get the better of you at times. But, I thought the way we bowled in the second innings was pretty much the opposite. We took the emotion out of it. We just focused on the process of bowling them out, keeping the runs down.”
After a competitive first four days, England was thoroughly outplayed by the visitors on the final day, losing the second Test comprehensively by 151 runs. The two teams will now meet at Headingley, Leeds for the third Test, which starts on Wednesday.