As India and England prepare for a new battle which begins in a five-match Test series starting January 25, 2024, memories of the last time these two teams clashed in England in 2021 were refreshed.
India had taken a 2-1 lead in the 5-Test series before the final Test was halted due to Covid cases in the Indian contingent. The match was rescheduled to 2022, in which a renewed England team ended up winning the game and leveled the series 2-2.
The 2021 series was a heated one between the two teams as the then-captain Virat Kohli urged his players to fight fire with fire. One such moment was the Lord’s Test when India won the Test on the last day in around 60 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah had bowled an over featuring 10 balls, all aimed at James Anderson which led to the rest of the series being quite heated up. Besides bowling four no balls in the over, Bumrah had targetted Anderson with a barrage of bouncers, hitting the tailender on the helmet, ribcage, and his left hand.
Anderson has himself admitted that the Bumrah over was “up there for intimidation”. Giving his version, Bumrah said that he had tried to check up on Anderson mid-over but did not get a “good response”.
“I was tired, I thought the last wicket was there, I tried to push to bowl fast. I went up to him (mid-over), asked ‘Are you OK?’ and didn’t get a good response. So that brought back some young memories; of trying to be the nice guy and it not being taken well. And it triggered the whole team. It was red mist but it was channelled. Fighting and playing is second nature to us; controlling that is self-taught,” said Bumrah to the Telegraph.
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Bumrah has cultivated a nice guy image on the field, bowling with a good-natured smile instead of the snarl that pace bowlers usually adopt to intimidate opponents.
“As a fast bowler who learned through watching television, I thought that you had to get angry, you had to have a word with the batsman … and when I started playing junior cricket, I was that guy. But in trying to do those antics, I realized that’s not me, that’s not helping me focus on the job at hand. I had to channel my anger because I am a fast bowler, I do get angry. I don’t want to get hit; I’m not here to entertain or give throwdowns, I want wickets, I am here to make you uncomfortable. But I don’t want to lose my shape or my zone,” he added.
Bumrah has been named the vice-captain of the Indian team for the England Tests and he lauded 41-year-old Anderson’s longevity as he enters the 21st year of his international cricket career.
“A lot of credit to (Anderson), I can genuinely say I’ve been watching him since I was a child. It’s a credit to him (he is still playing at 41), a testament to his hunger and passion. It’s one thing to have helpful conditions but to keep doing all that preparation. Skill and technique can be learned but the will to keep going, that’s a big big tick for me,” he said.
(The Telegraph inputs)
