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Journalism of Courage
No one has perhaps removed a cricketing sweater quicker than James Anderson did on Saturday evening in London. Even before the final delivery from Stuart Broad would stop rolling, Anderson would march towards Kumar Dharmasena. By the time the ‘keeper had reached mid pitch in the cross over, Anderson would have disposed his sweater and marched off to the top of his run-up. The itch to get at Virat Kohli was perhaps as visceral reason as any for the rush and the fact that he was bowling like a dream would have helped.
It’s clear he detests batsmen. The first time Alastair Cook shared a dressing room with him for England, he had told Anderson, “Last time we met you called me a c**t.” To paraphrase Cardus on Sidney Barnes, Anderson blew like a chill of antagonism on field to scorch India, who fought hard but stumbled away after Anderson’s spell and were still 158 runs adrift of England at 174 for 6 in reply to England’s 332.
Last time he had met Kohli in England, Anderson had blown him away. This time he served verbals for foreplay before the series. During the games, he induced Kohli to edge a couple of times but was let down by butter-fingered team-mates. Wisely, Kohli has seen him off through the series. No ego there. Play out Jimmy, was the mantra. Push, prod, defend, leave a lot, and try to get to the other side. Kohli is a self-aware batsman; he does such stuff better than most. Especially against the best bowler of the opposition.
But even he was in trouble on Saturday evening. India were 94 for 2 when Anderson blew in. When he left after six breath-taking overs, India were 109 for 4 and his figures read: 2 wickets, 8 runs in those six overs. India were tested, Dharmasena was given the lip and crowd had more than enough to talk about over pints of beer later.
He was in groove from the start in that spell. A ball in the outside-off corridor had Kohli trying to change minds and take away his bat in a hurry. Both looked at each other like fencers ready to spar. The crowd, who had booed Boris Johnson earlier in the day, sat tense. Quiet. The beer stalls had already emptied out before that over at sight of Anderson walking up to bowl.
Anderson does minimalism well. A shortish run-up, angular sprint, and a whippy sort of release with his long fingers. The next ball was fuller, tilting away, drawing forward Kohli who squirted it out to backward point. Then came the nipbacker – the middle finger coming off last from the ball, the seam angled in and Kohli, who had pressed across, must have realised half-way down the trajectory that he was in trouble. No where to go. Stranded on the front foot.
The ball tailed in to hit the pad and Anderson let out this howl of a cry: confident first, hopeful next, pleading, and it ended on an angry note. He turned and demanded a DRS which showed the ball was crashing into the stumps but the point of impact was Dharmasena’s call. He couldn’t quite hold himself together, sending the next ball down leg and jabbered away as he took his sweater from Dharmasena, who was left shaking his head. Match referee would be having a word with Anderson for sure.
Next over, Kohli was careful not to press too far across and watchfully played out. Anderson returned again but couldn’t bowl at Kohli. Instead, he took out Cheteshwar Pujara with a lovely one that shaped away late and let out a scream of release. Still no Kohli. But he swallowed Ajinkya Rahane next. Two balls tentatively pushed out to the off and Anderson whipped one on a length outside off. Rahane hesitated but pushed out his bat, perhaps worried that the ball might keep tailing back in. The ball did come in but not as much as he thought and the nervy prod produced an edge. Joy from Anderson and Kohli shuffled to his right and just stared out at nothing in particular.
He got one full over at Kohli next. Five balls that made him play. Would he take it out last ball or would he keep going in? He pushed it out but Kohli let it go. He had one more over in his tank and had one final sling at Kohli. He whipped a full delivery that seemed as if it would tail in to middle and leg and Kohli shaped up for the instinctive flick but somehow it held its line and flew off the outside edge.
Luckily for Kohli, it rolled along the ground. Anderson was done. And Kohli perhaps let his guard done. Not relax as in a loss of focus but what he doesn’t try at Anderson, he tries against others. Like in the last Test when he went chasing a delivery from Sam Curran.
This time, it was Ben Stokes. In the interim, he and Stokes were at each other. Rather Stokes was in the ears of the debutant Hanuma Vihari, who possibly couldn’t have dreamed about the pressure-cooker situation he walked in to but who handled it with great grit and good skills it must be said. He reminded one of Subramaniam Badrinath to an extent: Perhaps more intent, but as secure in the style of compact defense. Even the bat held in the stance in a similar way. But, let’s get back to Kohli.
Even as Stokes sprayed a few words at Vihari, Kohli would intervene. Once, at the end of the over when Vihari had top-edged a six and nearly holed out, trying to drag-pull from outside off, Stokes had a go. Kohli charged across. Neither the type to shy away. Neither did. When Stokes slowly peeled himself off from the crime scene, Kohli shook his head, and had a word with the umpires.
Next over, Stokes went wide off the crease and got the full ball to move away. Kohli went chasing and was pouched in the slips. Stokes screamed, Root screamed, the crowd screamed and Kohli flung his head back and hand an angsty look at the skies as he walked away.
Vihari continued to show heart and hung around but Rishabh Pant drove loosely at Stokes and was caught in the slips. India still trail by 158 runs and somehow the lower order has to manufacture a couple of partnerships just like England had done in the morning. Else, 1-4 looms.
In the little time he bowled, Moeen Ali found enough there for him to look forward to the final innings of the series. India somehow need to get as close to England as possible. A resolute debutant in Vihari and a comeback man in Jadeja at the crease. Anderson, Broad, Stokes and Ali on the other side. A morning not to be missed.
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