“If it gets too hot in the kitchen then stay inside” - Ravi Shastri recalls James Anderson & Jasprit Bumrah's exchange
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri was a part of the dressing room when India clinched a famous win in the Lord's Test against England in 2021. During that Test, there had been a heated exchange between James Anderson and some of the Indian players at the end of the day's play.
The veteran England pacer was apparently miffed at Jasprit Bumrah for trying to bounce him out as he believed the pacer was trying to injure him. However, Shastri felt that England should have declared if they were worried about Anderson getting injured.
Speaking to Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, here's what Ravi Shastri said about Jasprit Bumrah's barrage of bouncers at James Anderson:
"What's wrong with that? You got a bat in your hand. There's no rule that tail-enders you shouldn't (bounce). Then declare the innings, no? If it gets too hot in the kitchen and you don't want to be there, then stay inside, be clear, your fingers are fine, everything is fine, you can bowl as much as you want so that you're not injured."
England returned the favor once Jasprit Bumrah walked out to bat in the second innings. However, it backfired as Bumrah's partnership with Mohammed Shami helped India set a target of 272 for the hosts. The visitors ended up winning the Test by 151 runs.
Ravi Shastri on what is Spirit of Cricket
Ravi Shastri is in complete agreement with the idea of running out a non-striker for backing up too much. Ravichandran Ashwin had been at the center of the spirit of cricket debate when he did the same to Jos Buttler in IPL 2019.
However, Shastri feels the true spirit of cricket is in following the rules and believes there's no point in cribbing about being dismissed while backing up too much. He stated:
"Forget spirit. I believe in rules. You (Ashwin) mankaded a guy, it is rules, there's a rule book, observe the damn rules. A guy running two steps ahead, 'It's not fair, you should warn me.' For what warn? The rule says you're cheating. I hate warnings. I ll take the bails off straightaway. On your bike now! Rule book page 33. Don't whinge and moan after the event. It's there. Its same for both teams."
Ravi Shastri's fearless mindset worked incredibly well with the then-captain Virat Kohli as India became a team capable of winning away from home. Their biggest achievement was winning a Test series in Australia for the first time in 2018/19.