The veteran English fast bowler, James Anderson reckons that the hosts “absolutely nailed it” after they bundled out the Indian team for a below-par 78 on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test at Headingley on Wednesday. The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli won the toss only for Anderson to scalp the first three wickets including the tourists’ skipper, during a spell of 3-6 in eight overs. Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed agony of the Indian team with an unbeaten stand of 120 that left England 42 runs ahead at stumps.
Talking about the opening day, James Anderson said, “We just absolutely nailed it. With both ball and bat, we’ve displayed exactly what we wanted to do. It doesn’t get much better than that I don’t think. These days don’t come around very often, so you just have to be happy when they do.”
KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara were dismissed by Anderson before he dismissed Kohli. And with fellow pacemen Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton and Sam Curran taking the next seven wickets between them, Anderson didn’t even have to bowl a second spell.
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Yet there was still the worry for England — 1-0 down in this five-match series and they can also witness a collapse. But the new opening pair of Burns and Hameed strengthened England’s grip with two unbeaten fifties.
Describing the same, James Anderson said, “The way the two guys played towards the end of the day with the bat was outstanding and exactly what we’ve been asking for. When you bowl someone out for less than 100 you’re never quite sure whether you’ve bowled well or if the wicket is not as good as you think it might be. So to see the way they both went about their business, just felt so calm in the dressing room.”
Hameed’s 60 not out was looking pretty comfortable in the middle after his return to Test cricket following a five-year exile saw him manage scores of just naught and nine at Lord’s.
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Talking about him, James Anderson said, “I couldn’t be happier for ‘Has’. “One thing he’s always had is the right temperament for international cricket and we saw that today in bucket loads. He was calm, he was measured and he had a game plan which he executed brilliantly.”
