Ask a recently retired Test match fast bowler what they miss least about playing the game and you suspect they might come up with a scenario very similar to the first day in Vizag. Losing the toss and having to bowl first against India’s good batting line-up despite some deficiencies. A searing heat. A delivery so unconducive to seaming that England opted for a lone fast bowler along with their four-spinners.
For all his competitiveness, you’d think that at least some of Stuart Broad was quite content to follow the action from afar. But for James Anderson, opening day was the start of his 22nd consecutive year of Test match cricket.
Despite being England’s highest-ever Test match wicket-taker, Anderson started under unusual scrutiny. In last summer’s Ashes, Anderson took just five wickets for 85.4 per over. He was still frugal but he accepted Telegram Sports: “I didn’t feel threatened either.” Broad’s retirement after the Oval Test drew further attention to the age of his long-time opening partner; Although the two are often thought of as a couple, Anderson is four years older and turns 42 in July.
One sign of Anderson’s summer disappointment was the new race he announced on Friday. He accelerated his run to create more momentum at the crease. During the winter months, he paid to use the public running track next to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and did speed training. It was the ultimate symbol of Anderson’s standards and boundless desire to improve; Like Tom Brady and Serena Williams, she refused to let her career be governed by normal age limits.
But there was no emotion in England recalling Anderson to replace Mark Wood for the second Test. Anderson was chosen because he was considered the best man for the job, the best man to adapt to the many demands of being a sailor here.
His first job was to provide a new ball threat. Anderson’s first few balls were below his usual standard, on the leg side. But it quickly repositioned its perfect line and length and hovered in the space just outside the log, like a moth drawn to a light. Due to the lack of swing, Anderson relied mostly on his preferred wobble seam ball; The ball wobbles in the air and moves unpredictably after the throw, creating a natural change. Against Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anderson threatened both the inside and outside edge in five overs with only the wicket seal missing.
Anderson’s second job was to demonstrate his mastery of the old ball. In India, once the ball becomes soft, the seam relies on the creativity of the bowler. This was noticed in Anderson’s use of cutters, subtle changes in tempo and fractional changes in release point, thus creating a different angle.
Noticing Shubman Gill’s reluctance to release the ball, Anderson concentrated his second spell on the ‘fourth stump’. He then bowled a slightly wider ball, betting that Gill would have no intention of leaving the ball alone. Anderson was right. Another year of Test cricket was marked by the Anderson wicket, the 691st of his remarkable career.
This would be his lone scalp of the day. But Anderson was generous in fulfilling his third requirement: maintaining control. While the other four bowlers scored 306 from 76 overs, Anderson conceded just 30 runs in 17 overs. Although last wickets from Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir meant England ended the day level, it was Anderson’s control that ensured India’s first innings was still kept in check. Had Anderson conceded runs at the same rate as the spinners, India would have been there already. It will be at 374 instead of 336. That lead of 38 runs means England still have plans to restrict India to under 400, which would be a good effort on a well-intentioned pitch.
This is testament to the fourth quality that Anderson brings that leaves no room for doubt: sheer fucking mindedness. Fast bowlers need to tap into that spirit in India, adopting wickets that seem designed to neuter their skills. Whatever the unresponsive pitch, Shreyas Iyer’s unconvincing weaving showed that Anderson has a dangerous bouncer.
This is the sixth time Anderson has embarked on a Test tour of India. The country has witnessed much of Anderson’s best work: six wickets in the series-tying victory in 2006; An impeccable performance in turning wickets in 2012, when his 12 wickets were three times more than seamers on either side; and a magical end to the reversal in England’s victory in Chennai in 2021.
Few people know better than Anderson how challenging fast bowling can be on a tour of India; Even fewer are more knowledgeable about the satisfaction that comes with overcoming these obstacles to achieve victory. Still, he could enjoy the feeling once again.