James Anderson Opens Up About Bouncer Attacks From Jasprit Bumrah At Lord’s, Says ‘I Felt He Wasn’t Trying To Get Me Out’

James Anderson has opened up on the incident of Jasprit Bumrah’s bouncer attacks against him during the 1^st innings of India vs England 2^nd Test at Lord’s. The English pacer said that during the moment, he felt like the Indian pacer was not trying to get him out.

When no.11 batsman James Anderson came out to bat in the 1st innings of the India vs England previous Test encounter at Lord’s, Jasprit Bumrah bowled short-pitched deadly bouncers to him.

One of the deliveries also hit Anderson on the helmet. The incident also annoyed other England players and the matter also became a reason for verbal banters between both teams for the rest of the game. When Jasprit Bumrah went out to bat in the 2^nd innings, England pacers also tried to attack him with bouncers, However, their action bounced back as tailenders Bumrah and Mohammed Shami built a match-winning partnership of 89 runs.

I Haven’t Felt Like This Ever In My Career: James Anderson

While speaking to the Tailenders podcast, James Anderson opened up about the moment when he faced deadly bouncers by Bumrah. He felt that the Indian pacer was not trying to get him out.

“I got caught off guard a little bit because all the batters coming in were saying how slow the pitch was,” said Anderson. “Banged in short; it was really slow. When I came out to bat, Joe said Bumrah was not bowling as quick as he normally does. And then, the first ball was 90 miles an hour and on the money, wasn’t it? And it felt like, I haven’t felt like this ever in my career. I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out,” James Anderson said.

“I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out. He bowled an over, maybe 10, 11, 12 balls. He was bowling no-ball after no-ball, bowling short. I think he bowled two on the stumps which I managed to dig out. So for me, it was just about trying to survive that and get Joe back on strike,” the 39-year-old further added.

James Anderson bagged a five-wicket haul in the 1^st innings, which helped England to make a comeback in the match post India’s powerful start in 1st innings. However, Mohammed Shami and Jaspirt Bumrah’s unbeaten knocks of 56* and 34* in 2^nd innings rose India’s scoreboard to 298-8, setting a 272-run target for the visitors.

Against a dangerous pace attack by Indian bowlers, England were crushed to just 120 all-out with 5 players losing their wickets for a duck. India won the match by 151 runs and gained a 1-0 lead in the series. England and India will now square off in the 3^rd Test at Headingly in Leeds, scheduled to commence on August 25 (Wednesday).

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