I bowl less in the nets, and try to save it for the middle: James Anderson

James Anderson, on Wednesday, ripped the heart out of India’s star-studded batting in England’s third Test against India at the Headingley in Leeds. The 39-year-old dismissed KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli and returned with figures of 8-5-6-3. The veteran didn’t return for a second spell but had caused the damage from which India couldn’t recover.

Having already picked up 629 wickets, Anderson is deemed as the greatest fast bowler to have ever graced the game. However, the speedster doesn’t quite believe in overly sweating it out in the nets. Rather, the veteran prefers to put in the hard yards at the gym to stay fit.

James Anderson opines

“As I get older, I feel like I have to work that little bit harder in the gym. I feel like I bowl less in the nets, and try to save it for when it matters in the middle,” Anderson was quoted as saying after the opening day’s play.

Anderson reckoned that Test cricket is about staying mentally fit for sending in long spells and delivering in crunch matches.

“The biggest test in Test cricket is mentally getting yourself up for bowling big spells and playing in big games. It’s about keeping yourself switch on through games and switch off when you are not bowling — that’s something I’ve always had,” he stated.

In the first innings of the Lord’s Test, Anderson picked up a five-wicket haul to put England in command. However, in the second innings, he was over-bowled and the Indian tailenders, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, didn’t allow him to dictate terms.

“Walking off the pitch during the second Test at Lord’s, pretty much everything hurt, but that gives so much satisfaction knowing that I have put a shift in for the team,” Anderson said

Anderson also sounded a tad concerned about his problematic shoulder. “It still hurts. You just find a way of putting up with it. it’s just part and parcel of the job,” he added.

In the ongoing Test, the Brits are leading by 42 runs with all their 10 wickets in hand. The hosts’ pacers have put Joe Root and Co. on the driver’s seat.