We have to remember Virat Kohli is averaging 20 in the series: James Anderson

The second Test match between England and India at Lord’s had a fair share of on-field banter with the likes of James Anderson and Jasprit Bumrah at the forefront of it. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was not far behind as well as he exchanged words with Anderson and a few of the other England players. It all started when pacer Bumrah decided to bowl a barrage of bouncers to veteran England seamer Anderson, which didn’t go well with him.

The 39-year-old had also stated how he felt angered by the hostile spell of fast bowling from Bumrah. Kohli though felt it otherwise and loved how his pacer was cranking it up and troubling Anderson.

During that longish over from Bumrah, Kohli came close to Anderson and said, “You can’t be enjoying this can you?”.

Anderson, who was by then irritated by Bumrah’s over answered Kohli by saying “obviously not”. Anderson was frustrated by that over from Bumrah and gave it back to the India pacer at the end of day three’s play.

“The emotion got the better of me and, I felt I had to say something. I felt bad for doing that because it drew attention away from Rooty (Joe Root) celebrating an amazing inning as he came off the field,” Anderson told to Fox Cricket.

“I apologized to him afterwards for that but, the emotion got the better of me. It happens sometimes.” Later it was revealed that that heated exchange of words continued in the Long Room at Lord’s with Kohli and England skipper Joe Root having a go at each other before sanity prevailed as both calmed themselves.

We have bowled well at a great player like Virat Kohli: James Anderson

Anderson had his say on Virat Kohli’s poor performances in the tour so far and felt it does not stop him from being competitive. “When you come across someone as animated as Virat on the field, he can rub people up the wrong way. It is one of those things,” Anderson wrote in his column for the UK Telegraph.

The England pacer concluded by saying that they have managed to keep a great batter Kohli down by bowling well so far in the two Tests. “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.”

The Indian skipper is averaging 20.66 in the three innings he batted so far in the ongoing Test series. Anderson felt that their bowlers have done a decent job so far in containing a great batter like Virat.

“We have to remember Virat is averaging 20 in the series, proving we have bowled well at a great player – but I would rather he was averaging 80 and we were 1-0 up.”