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'I won't back down, and give it back 10 times': Bumrah reveals what 'riled him up' against Anderson during Lord's Test
Bumrah revealed that Anderson had said something nasty to him during the Lord's Test, which got the fast bowler all charged up.
There were plenty of talking points during the second India vs England Test. The heated exchange between James Anderson and Virat Kohli, the animated exchange between Jasprit Bumrah and Jos Buttler, the match-turning unbeaten 81-run partnership between Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for India's ninth wicket come to mind. However, the one that started all of it was the duel between Bumrah and Anderson on Day 3 of the Test match.
It all began when Bumrah peppered Anderson with an over filled with bouncers. In the process, Bumrah overstepped four time to make it a 10-ball over. After the first ball hit Anderson on the helmet, there was a concussion check, but even after play resumed, Bumrah did not back down and continued to bowl bouncers. Anderson was clearly not pleased and had something to say to Bumrah as the players went off the ground at stumps.
Bumrah revealed that Anderson had said something nasty to him, which got the fast bowler all charged up. As a result, Bumrah produced a stunning show with the bat, which lifted India to 198/8 declared and set England a target of 272. Bumrah, while speaking to Dinesh Karthik in an interview for Sky Sports, pointed out how once he got to know what Anderson had said to him, the fast bowler was fiercely motivated to get one back at England.
"I don't want to go into the details. But when we play the sport, it's never our intention to really hurt the batsman or try to aim to hit the batsman. It was a tactic to get the lower order out because when we go to Australia or South Africa, this is what happens. That's what was to it," Bumrah said.
"But as soon as the day got over, some words were exchanged which were not really pleasant so we were not happy about it. I did not hear at that time because I was really tired (chuckles) but all my teammates heard and usually I am a person who doesn't go looking for a fight or get riled up when needled. But when I heard what was said, I got really riled up."
Bumrah added that his showdown with Anderson had a role in what transpired in his performance for the remainder of the Test, explaining how it got every single Indian player charged up.
"Then it was like, if something comes up [ahead in the game] I won't really back down and give it back ten times. Everyone was really charged up and ready for a fight, to go really hard but [also keeping in mind] to not lose shape and remember that we are here to do a job, not just talk and make an impact. We wanted to use the fire to our advantage and make a result out of it that eventually happened," Bumrah said.
