Indian cricket team's fielding coach R Sridhar revealed England's James Anderson had refused to accept an apology from pacer Jasprit Bumrah, after the end of the first innings at Lord's, which fired up the team. Bumrah had bowled a barrage of bouncers to Anderson and he later told the Englishman it wasn't intentional.
It was the 126th over of England's first innings when Anderson had to face Bumrah. Most of the deliveries were directed at the body by the Indian speedster which the English number 11 batsman didn't like at all.
"Bumrah is a competitive fast bowler but wouldn't want to intentionally hurt anyone," said Sridhar in a chat on R Ashwin's Youtube channel.
"Bumrah bowled 8-10 balls. Yorkers, bouncers. Anderson was uncomfortable but somehow didn't get out… There was an unwritten rule among fast bowlers' club previously. You shall not bowl bouncers. Bowl full ones and get the other out. It was an understanding. Now that club is gone," he added.
Bumrah and other Indian players were seen having a chat with Anderson after the end of the innings. Sridhar said that Bumrah went and apologized to Anderson, who brushed him aside.
"After the innings, the boys were walking back to the dressing room. Bumrah walked past Jimmy and patted at him, so as to tell him that it wasn't intentional. Bumrah had gone to talk to him and end the matter, but Jimmy brushed him aside.
"That got the team together. Not that the team wasn't together before. It sparked/ignited a fire in everyone. The effect of that was visible on day 5," he said.
When Bumrah came out to bat in the second innings, England players were seen verbally attacking him in the middle. The Indian team was ready to give it back to England in the second innings and they didn't hold themselves back.
Bumrah and Mohammad Shami posted a partnership of 89* runs for the ninth wicket as England's tactics to bowl short balls to the tail cost them a match. India won the Lord's Test by 151 runs.
Ashwin, on England's poor tactics, said, "What happened was that they ran fast and bowled fast to hit us and they lost the game there."
Sridhar shared head coach Ravi Shastri's words, "He said: 'If we can give them target or 180, we can get them under pressure'."
