"There was a bit of us wanting revenge on them when Bumrah batted" - James Anderson reveals England's tactics on Day 5 at Lord's
England pacer James Anderson admitted the hosts were in the mood for some revenge against India when Jasprit Burmah came out to bat in the first session on the fifth day of the Lord's Test.
During England's first innings with the bat, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a couple of menacing short pitch deliveries to James Anderson on day 3. The duel led to several heated exchanges over the next few days of the Test.
On Day 5, India was in deep trouble when Bumrah and Mohammed Shami joined hands at the crease. England had a clear upper hand at that juncture. However, they let the advantage slip and lost the plot completely by resorting to the short-ball strategy with revenge on the mind.
Bumrah and Shami tackled the threat in impressive fashion and put on a record unbeaten 89-run partnership for the ninth wicket to help India set a good target.
In his column for The Telegraph, James Anderson opened up about his side's bowling plans on Day 5 and gave his thoughts on where they went wrong. Anderson wrote:
"Potentially there was a bit of us wanting revenge on them when Bumrah batted on the last morning and we got carried away but we were genuinely trying to bowl them out. Sometimes you get it wrong as a bowling attack. Rooty has taken the brunt of the blame for it, but as a bowling attack, we have to be good enough to take those last few wickets. We got the balance of bouncers and fuller balls wrong."
Anderson continued:
"I felt every time I bowled at the stumps they blocked it or found a gap to squirt it into to get off strike. When that happens, you go to the short ball. You have catchers out knowing they will take it on. It felt like the best wicket-taking option but it was definitely the period where we lost the game."
James Anderson mentioned that his altercation with Jasprit Bumrah was because the emotions got the better of him in that moment. He also regretted that as it took the limelight away from Joe Root, who played a fabulous unbeaten knock of 180 runs.
Headingley is similar to Lord’s in some respects because of the pronounced slope: James Anderson
Looking ahead to the third Test, Anderson explained the similarities between the Lord's and Headingley and stated that it could sometimes be difficult to find the right line and length. He wrote:
"Headingley can be a tricky place to bowl. It is similar to Lord’s in some respects because of the pronounced slope. It can be hard to find your rhythm and length. It is about not getting carried away when it is swinging and go searching for fuller length. You can get driven because the pitch is usually pretty good. It is about using the conditions to your advantage but not bowling too full."
The third Test between India and England will get underway on August 25.