HEADLINGLY: England pacer James Anderson has said that he felt like India seamer Jasprit Bumrah was not trying to get him out in the second innings of the Lord's Test, rather the focus was on just bowling short balls at him.
The first Test ended in a draw but India staged an incredible comeback to take the second game by 151 runs at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Both sides will now lock horns in the third Test, beginning Wednesday at Headingley, Leeds.
"I got caught off guard a bit because all the batters coming in were saying how slow the pitch was. Similarly, when I came out to bat Joe Root said you know Bumrah is not bowling as quick as he normally does. And then first ball was 90 mph on the money, wasn't it," Anderson said on BBC's Tailenders Podcast.
"After that I've not felt like this I don't think ever in my career, I felt like he wasn't trying to get me out. He bowled an over that was may be 10, 11, 12 balls (10), bowling no ball after no ball, and bowling short. I think he bowled two (balls) on the stumps which I managed to dig out," he added.
In the second innings of the Lord's Test, Anderson was seen having an animated chat with Bumrah and the Indian team. After that, tempers flared and both teams engaged in verbals throughout the game.
The first Test had ended in a draw but India staged an incredible comeback to take the second game. India and England provided an intense spectacle on day five of the second Test as players from both sides engaged in verbals and in the end, it was Kohli's team that emerged triumphant in an engaging match.
After the win in the third Test, India opening batsman KL Rahul said that if the opposition chooses to engage in verbals with his side, then they very well know how to give it back.
Last week, England men's head coach Chris Silverwood named a 15-player squad for the third Test. Yorkshire batsman Dawid Malan returned to the Test squad for the first time in three years.
Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood has also been included. He has yet to make his Test debut but will be aiming to add to his England credentials, having already been capped by the senior side in ODIs and IT20s.