Last Updated on 5 years ago by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News | Joe Root could have kept me bowling – Anderson | James Anderson says that Joe Root should have kept him on to Shami and Bumrah

James Anderson, in the aftermath of England’s defeat to India at Lord’s, has pinpointed how skipper Joe Root could have done things differently.

In the end, it was the partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami that swung the Test wildly in India’s favour on the fifth day. By the time England came out to bat, they were shellshocked and had no answers. The tactics were labelled as “bizarre”, “poor” and “horrible” by fans and pundits across the globe.

James Anderson pinpoints Joe Root captaincy as key factor in the Bumrah-Shami stand

Speaking on The Wizard and The Frog podcast, Anderson touched on the need to try get Bumrah out rather than get into a personal battle. England’s highest wicket-taker believes Root could have kept him on, rather than have brought Mark Wood back to target Bumrah and Shami with the short ball.

After the Test, Joe Root took responsibility for England’s approach on the fifth day. It was a period that cost them dearly, and Anderson further emphasised the need to not let the emotion get the better of you.

“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,“ Anderson said.

“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 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,” said England’s senior bowler.

England aim to keep series alive against India at Headingley

England, 1-0 down in the series, now face a fight to keep the series alive. The bowler in focus, Mark Wood, is out with a shoulder injury. Also, Dom Sibley has been dropped owing to key technical shortcomings.

The home side, who have lost five of their last seven Tests, will be hoping that change – owing to poor form and injury – does bring about a change in fortune.