India vs England 2021: The Best I Have Seen James Anderson Bowl With The Reversing Ball - Ian Bell

Former England batsman, Ian Bell heaps rich praises for James Anderson after the pacer picked 3 wickets on the 5th Day in Chennai to dismantle the Indian batting line-up as India lose the first Test by 227 runs to concede a trail in the 4-match series.

Ian Bell even went further to say that Anderson’s spell on Tuesday – where he got the wickets of Shubman Gill, Ajinkya Rahane, and Rishabh Pant with the old ball – was the best he has seen Anderson reversing the ball.

England needed to take 9 wickets on Day 5 to take a lead in the series. Jack Leach, after castling Rohit Sharma on Day 4, got rid of Chteshwar Pujara early on Day 5. However, it was James Anderson who put the match in England’s bag: Anderson rattled Gill’s stumps with his first ball of the day; three balls later, Ajinkya Rahane was sent back with a similar delivery reversing the ball onto the stumps.

The pacer then got rid of Rishabh Pant a few over later with smartly rolling his fingers over the ball. Wickets kept falling, and England registered their sixth consecutive win in Asia.

“Jimmy Anderson with the reversing ball, high-quality swing. We know what he can do in England, but now he is showing people that the older he gets – 38 years of age – he can still bowl and improve which is incredible. I thought today was the best I have seen him bowl, with the reversing ball actually,” Ian Bell told ESPNcricinfo.

James Anderson has learned all the tricks of reverse swing: Ian Bell

Ian Bell, who was a member of the team which won the 2012 series in India, asserts that Anderson has learned the art of hiding the ball and reversing it with his experiences of touring in Asia.

Bell says that while Jack Leach and Dom Bess were brilliant in both the innings, it was James Anderson, turning 39 this July, who was the key wrecker-in-chief to hand India their only second Test match defeat on home soil since 2013.

“I remember whenever he used to come to India and play against Zaheer Khan and when he started reversing the ball and hiding the ball and now Jimmy has learned all those tricks and put them in now. I thought today was the best I have seen him bowl, with the reversing ball actually. As a senior bowler he took control of the situation, spinner also played their part but Jimmy actually broke the back of this Indian batting line-up,” Ian Bell added.

Joe Root was named the Man of the Match for his big double hundred. The second Test match commences on 13th February at the same venue.

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