Out of the many player battles that have emerged in the ongoing Test series between India and England, an unlikely and yet significant and eye-grabbing one has been that of James Anderson vs Jasprit Bumrah. Such a duel didn't feature in any prediction before and yet, this somehow went on to contribute in changing the course of the second Test match between India and England at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Anderson specifically was at the receiving end of a flurry of bouncers from Jasprit Bumrah. In what seemed to be a no-ball-laden bowler, the Indian speedster kept attacking his English counterpart with several bouncers and Anderson, while speaking to Tailender's Podcast, shared his thoughts on the incident. India vs England 3rd Test 2021 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head to Head and Other Things You Need to Know About IND vs ENG Cricket Match in Headingley

"I got caught off guard a little bit because all the batters coming in were saying how slow the pitch was. Banged in short; it was really slow. When I came out to bat, Joe said Bumrah was not bowling as quickly as he normally does. And then, the first ball was 90 miles an hour and on the money, wasn’t it? And it felt like, I haven’t felt like this ever in my career. I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out," the England ace reckoned. Virat Kohli Looks Unstoppable Ahead of IND vs ENG Third Test Match, Shares Weightlifting Video on Social Media

Bumrah continued bowling bouncers, even while bowling a few no-balls in the process, as mentioned before. Anderson shared that he felt Bumrah wasn't trying to get him out in that over. “I felt he wasn’t trying to get me out. He bowled an over, maybe 10, 11, 12 balls. He was bowling no-ball after no-ball, bowling short. I think he bowled two on the stumps which I managed to dig out. So for me, it was just about trying to survive that and get Joe back on strike.”

England tried to do the same thing when Bumrah came out to bat in India's second innings. The English speedsters too tried to attack Bumrah but the plan terribly backfired as the 27-year old was in no mood to sit back and defend. Instead, he along with Mohammed Shami unleashed an array of attacking shots, hitting the England bowlers all over the park. Their 89-run unbeaten run changed the course of the game, titled the balance in favour of India and eventually, the hosts succumbed to the pressure of some fiery fast bowling and ended up losing the match by 151 runs. Mark Wood Ruled Out of IND vs ENG 3rd Test 2021 With Shoulder Injury

Anderson also shared that he felt England skipper Joe Root went wrong with his tactics when Bumrah and Shami were batting. He was taken off the attack by Root, when Bumrah had walked in to bat. "When Joe touched on getting a few things wrong, I think, potentially, when Bumrah came in, he brought Mark Wood on and took me off. That’s the sort of thing he is talking about getting the emotion get the better of him. That was a sort of - trying for him to have a taste of his own medicine type of thing, rather than trying to get him out. You could just keep me on and normally see if he plays any big shot or anything like that, whereas he went with Mark Wood straightaway,” Anderson said.

He also said that India were also supported by luck in their victory in the second Test match. "I thought they had a day as well. Chances just dropping either side of the fielders, dropping short, play and misses. On another day, one goes to hand and it’s a different story. But, all in all, it seemed that everything was against us that morning," he added.

With a 1-0 lead in the series, England and India head into the third Test at the Headingley Cricket Ground on August 25, Wednesday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2021 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).