Root hails Anderson as England go 2-0 up against India
England rout India to lead 2-0 in Test series
LONDON: Joe Root said James Anderson was a “special commodity” who should be enjoyed for as long as possible after England’s leading all-time Test wicket-taker showed his class yet again in an innings and 159-run hammering of India at Lord’s.
The overcast conditions and greentinged pitch, as much a consequence of a sudden change in the weather after a prolonged dry spell as anything else, were ideal for Anderson.
But the 36-year-old Lancashire swing specialist exploited them expertly in a match haul of nine for 43 that saw him become the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets at Lord’s.
“He’s a special, special commodity, isn’t he?,” said Root of Anderson after England won the second Test in emphatic fashion to go 2-0 up in a five-match series.
“He’s something that doesn’t come along very often and we’ve got to enjoy him while he’s around,” he added.
“There’s been chat about his longevity but at the minute he’s bowling better than he ever has before. Time and again, he puts in fantastic performances.
“For him to be performing as he is, is something else.
“Even though the conditions suited [him], you’ve still got to put the ball in the right area and ask the right questions of the batsmen.
“Throughout the whole game he did just that, he set the tone well with Stu [Broad], as a whole bowling group we were really, really good.”
Yet it was Chris Woakes who was named man-of-the-match after starring with both bat and ball.
Woakes, selected after England omitted Ben Stokes because of his fellow pace-bowling all-rounder’s ongoing trial for affray, made 137 not out — his maiden Test century — and shared a partnership of 189 with Jonny Bairstow (93) that helped the hosts recover from 89 for four to an eventual total of 396 for seven declared.
He also took match figures of four for 43, with his haul including the prize scalp of India captain and star batsman Virat Kohli, his erstwhile team-mate when they both played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, for just 23 in the tourists’ meagre firstinnings 107.
It is not yet known whether Stokes will be available to play in the third Test in Nottingham starting on Saturday, but Warwickshire’s Woakes proved himself to be far more than a mere ‘stand-in’.
Kohli said India should be “better than that” after the heaviest defeat of his reign as India captain was completed after tea on the fourth day.
Kohli said India had to improve on a Lord’s batting display where number eight Ravichandran Ashwin, primarily an offspinner, top-scored in both their innings with 29 and 33 not out.
“It’s our job and our duty to play for the country, and we should be better than that,” insisted Kohli, the No.1-ranked batsman in both Tests and one-day internationals.
“Unless you accept that, you can’t improve and compete. We have to accept what we did wrong — mistakes have been made — and not repeat them again.”
He added: “Credit has to go to England who were clinical with the bat, ball and in the field. They deserved to win and we deserved to lose.”
Kohli was clearly struggling with a stiff back on Sunday, the injury seeing him bat at number five rather than his usual number four position.
But Kohli was optimistic he would be fit for the third Test in Nottingham starting on Saturday.
“The back is one thing that can be very tricky...but the good thing is I have five days before the next Test,” he said. “We are confident I should be ready.”