Heres what Kohli told Anderson during Bumrah bouncer barrage

England pacer James Anderson revealed what India skipper Virat Kohli told him when Jasprit Bumrah had let off a short ball barrage, bowling a 10-ball over in the second Test match. Out of the many exchanges between the two sides at Lord’s, Kohli and Anderson’s seemed like one of the most heated ones. The stump mic caught the two sledging each other on several occasions. 

Also read: Win, big knock from Virat Kohli on Team India’s wishlist for Headingley

Talking about the time, Bumrah was bowling some fiesty bouncers at him, Anderson in his column for Telegraph writes, “About halfway through the ten-ball over from Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli walked up to the stumps to speak to me. He said “you can’t be enjoying this can you?”

Also read: India vs England 3rd Test: 5 things to watch out for at Headingly

On Day 3 of the Test, Bumrah delivered a 10-ball over, most of them bouncers, hitting the English tail-ender on the helmet, shoulder and ribs. 

The 39-year-old, who has taken 626 wickets in his Test career, admitted that he is not a fan of short-pitch bowling and India exploited that weakness. 

“He (Kohli) was right. I said to him “obviously not.” I’ve faced a lot of short-pitched bowling. It is no secret I don’t play the bouncer very well. Mitchell Johnson steaming in around the wicket in Perth was pretty tasty, for example,” he continued. 

  Also read: 3 ‘Root’ causes of England’s Lord’s defeat vs India

Anderson said, unlike the popular opinion, Bumrah’s delivery, on the ‘slow’ Lord’s pitch, sped up when banged short. 

“But on Saturday at Lord’s the over from Bumrah was up there for intimidation. Everyone had been saying it was a slow wicket. When I walked out to bat Joe Root was at the other end. He said ‘when it is banged in it is quite slow so you can see it quite easily’.”

“But the first ball I faced I didn’t see it at all. The first I knew of it was when it hit me on the head. Bumrah had obviously picked up his pace and from then on I just wanted to get through it unscathed and stay at the crease for Joe,” he added.

  Also read: Great chance for India to win in England, says Rohit Sharma

Anderson has scored a little less than 1250 runs in his 164-match Test career. He said that the verbal duels with Kohli and company helped him focus on his game. 

“You come across all sorts of characters in cricket and there are many, many more I have played against who are more competitive than him and I have managed to deal with them, so it is just a case of trying to put a real focus on the cricket rather than the noise that comes with it,” he added

  Also read: Jasprit Bumrah a sensation in all formats: Former cricketer Allan Donald

India and England will play the third Test match of the five-match series at Headingly, Leeds, starting from August 25.