England pacer James Anderson opened up about the face-off between Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow during the rescheduled Test at Edgbaston. 

Kohli and Bairstow were engaged in a verbal duel during Day 2 and Day 3 of the recently concluded fifth Test between England and India.

After Bairstow struggled initially in his innings, Kohli sledged the English batter using Tim Southee's name on Day 2. In the morning session of Day 3, the duo was seen engaging in a more serious chit-chat with the Indian batter doing a lot of finger-pointing towards the Englishman. 

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However, sledging made Bairstow charge up as he took the Indian bowlers to cleaners and smashed another ton to bail his side out of trouble. The right-hander scored 106 runs in 140 balls, which included 14 fours and 2 sixes. 

Speaking on Tailenders Podcast, James Anderson recalled how Bairstow’s strike went from 20 to 150 after Kohli sledged him. 

“Jonny was about 80 not out at the break in the first innings and Virat had been going at him and sledging him a lot. This was early in his innings as well I don't know if you saw the strike-rate difference? His strike-rate was about 20 before Virat started sledging him and about 150 after he sledged him," James Anderson said. 

Anderson revealed what Bairstow had said in the dressing room about the exchange with Kohli. He also highlighted Jimmy Neesham’s tweet about the English batter. 

“His first words back in the dressing room at lunch were: 'When will they learn to shut it?' As Jimmy Neesham put it in his tweet, if there's somebody you don't want to rub up the wrong way and get them proper in the zone, into the game mode, it is Jonny Bairstow,” he said. 

After smashing a ton in the first innings, Bairstow followed it up with another century in the second innings. He smashed 114 runs and helped his side record their highest chase in Test cricket. 

(Tailenders Podcast inputs)