James Anderson rekindles Dale Steyn's Nagpur special
On 9th February, 2021, England and India were embroiled in a deadlocked contest when James Anderson entered the fray in the 27th over. Prior to that, the hosts, despite having lost Cheteshwar Pujara, seemed equipped enough to bat out the day and secure a draw against all odds.
Yet, at that very juncture, James Anderson set the cat among the pigeons, ultimately ripping open an encounter that had been crying out for some sort of inspiration.
Over the course of the next few minutes, James Anderson turned in perhaps his best display in the COVID-19 era, which is saying something, considering he was at the forefront when England dispatched Sri Lanka, a fortnight ago.
Furthermore, those that were fortunate enough to witness the crafty pacer against India, would certainly testify that James Anderson, knowingly or unknowingly, evoked memories of a fiery spell that Dale Steyn conjured, way back in 2010 against India at Nagpur. It was that good.
To put things into perspective, the spell being mentioned came after South Africa had piled up 558 in the first innings, which included a mammoth double ton by Hashim Amla.
In reply, India, riding on Virender Sehwag’s magnificent century, seemed capable of getting close to the South Africans’ total, in addition to avoiding the follow-on. However, when the opener, along with MS Dhoni was dismissed in relatively quick succession, the visitors found themselves with a glimmer of hope.
Contextually, if the Proteas intended to make India bat again, they needed to prize open the rest of the middle order to ensure that they maximized the time that they had at their disposal. Unsurprisingly, Graeme Smith turned to Dale Steyn, who over the course of the next hour or so, highlighted why he was considered the premier fast bowler on the planet.
At first, he got a delivery to tail late into S Badrinath, who until that point, had looked assured at the crease. However, the extra movement muddled his footwork, meaning that he chipped an incoming delivery straight to mid-wicket.
A few balls later, Wriddhiman Saha shouldered arms to a delivery that breezed past him and clattered into off-stump, flattening it completely. Six overs and two sets of battered stumps later, Steyn had waltzed past the Indian batsmen.
On congruent lines, when Joe Root turned to James Anderson on 9th February 2021, time was at a premium for the Three Lions. Despite the scalps of Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, the Indians only needed to bat for two and a half sessions. And, that had to be accomplished on a surface that hadn’t portrayed as many demons as expected.
Yet, that was perhaps the moment when James Anderson’s sheer brilliance took over, much like Dale Steyn’s did, all those years ago.
James Anderson got rid of Gill and Rahane in one over
On the first ball he bowled, he found a hint of reverse swing – something that immediately made him sit up and take notice. A delivery later, James Anderson got the ball to start outside off stump and screech back through Shubman Gill’s defence, sending the off-stump cartwheeling in the process.
Moments later, Ajinkya Rahane, who hasn’t really hit purple patches recently, found himself in immense strife. In fact, he just about managed to survive a close LBW call, which on any other day, would’ve seen him tuck his bat under his arm and walk back.
Yet, that bit of reprieve seemed to be a false dawn, as far as Ajinkya Rahane was concerned, for he, much like his off-stump, disappeared over the horizon, just a ball later.
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Though the succession of wickets made James Anderson’s spell special, it was perhaps the manner of those dismissals that made the cricketing fraternity re-think the fast bowler’s tenability to alien conditions.
Throughout that spell, James Anderson showcased extraordinary control and kept the batsmen guessing. While a few deliveries went away, others decked back in, meaning that the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli weren’t able to line up the pacer.
And, if that wasn’t enough, James Anderson also used his guile when he deployed an off-cutter to get rid of Rishabh Pant. Owing to the reverse swing on offer, the wicket-keeper was understandably inclined to play at deliveries that honed in on off stump. On this occasion though, the ball just left him after pitching, meaning that he could only lob the ball to short extra cover.
Thus, in a matter of a few overs, James Anderson had daggered through the heart of India’s batting line up, both figuratively and metaphorically. Additionally, he had backed up the chatter of him being at his best, despite plenty labelling him a spent force.
More importantly, the spell served as a reminder that James Anderson, even if not at his quickest, still boasted the requisite dexterity and skill to outwit opponents. All of that, despite being 38 years of age.
Rather poetically though, James Anderson, courtesy his performance against India at Chennai, might again be touted as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time – a tag that was bestowed upon Dale Steyn when he produced that outing against India at Nagpur.
After all, the final frontier for an overseas pacer remains the sub-continent and as far as that yardstick is concerned, James Anderson seems to have gotten himself back into the aforementioned discussion. That it is eerily resemblant of Dale Steyn only adds to the theatre, doesn’t it?
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