Three cheers to Jimmy!

Reason: Memorable three unforgettable deliveries which broke the back of the Indian batting in Chennai on Tuesday and for the manner in which he has pushed himself through his 18-year Test career

That James Anderson bowled to Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman when they were still considered the vanguard of Indian batting and is still tormenting Indian batsmen, makes him an army general deserving of every gallantry honour.

It’s almost unbelievable that Anderson, 38, has been at our batsmen’s throats from 2006; when India were led by Dravid and coached by Greg Chappell. We all know how much water has flown under that proverbial bridge since then.

That was also before MS Dhoni’s men lifted the T20 and 50-over cricket World Cups; before Virat Kohli had even played under-19 cricket for India; before Ajinkya Rahane had made his Mumbai debut and prior to Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in his city team on the first-class scene.

With 420 to get for victory, India were not favourites to win on Tuesday. However, the recent sighting of the unwrapping of special steel on the Australian tour prompted cricket fans to hope for a win or draw. But Anderson can be devastating on the last day, as he has been on several opening days of Test matches. ‘Send the stumps flying’ is the credo of fast bowlers and Anderson lived up to it when he uprooted the furniture of Shubman Gill and Rahane with reverse swing that would have been a highly forgettable sight for India skipper Virat Kohli at the other end. Getting Rishabh Pant caught by Joe Root off a leading edge completed a three-wicket burst which had India in ruins.

His analysis of 5.3-3-7-3 provided enough indication as to who the hero of the day was at that point in time. Had he taken another two wickets, he would have gone past 30 fifers in 158 Tests, but that spell was as crushing as any scintillating fifer.

The three dismissals reminded me of his exploits on the last day of the opening Test in the 2011 Pataudi Trophy. Like in Chennai earlier this week, Anderson at Lord’s had only two first innings wickets to show — tailenders Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. But on the final day, he came up with a second innings spell that made India’s loss inevitable. Using reverse swing as a weapon, he dismissed Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar, before Harbhajan and top-scorer Suresh Raina (78). Experts spotted the improvement after they had worked out that Anderson had not claimed more than two wickets in a second innings at Lord’s, when conditions were less kind to the pace bowlers.

Ex-star Darren Gough was convinced that Anderson would eclipse Ian Botham’s country record of 383 wickets. At that stage, the Lancastrian was way down with 226 scalps, below Gough himself (229), Andrew Caddick (234), Alec Bedser (236), Matthew Hoggard (248), Brian Statham (252), Derek Underwood (297), Fred Trueman (307) and Bob Willis (325). “Anderson is at the top of his game. He is now at a place where he is at the peak of his career. He has the control which is unreal for an opening bowler,” the Yorkshireman was quoted as saying in a British tabloid.

Anderson ended the series with 21 wickets and celebrated commentator Henry Blofeld, who has observed English cricket teams closely since the 1960s if not earlier, reckoned the pace attack of Anderson, Broad and Tim Bresnan was the best he has seen.

That was in 2011. Today, Anderson tops the list for the most wickets by a fast bowler with 611 followed by Glenn McGrath (563), Courtney Walsh (519) and teammate Stuart Broad with 517.

The opening Test loss at Chennai may be viewed as an aberration for the Indian team and Kohli’s men could well storm back next week at the same venue, but Anderson will still be a foe to be feared.

Former teammate Ian Bell, the classy right-handed former batsman, indicated to ESPNcricinfo after the Test that he hadn’t seen Anderson bowl better in terms of reverse swing. Now, that is what India have to watch out for in the remainder of the series.

Anderson’s record against India is enviable – 115 wickets in 28 Tests. And against old enemy Australia, he has claimed 104 in 32 Tests. Pundits reckoned not being in the limited overs mix for England has helped prolong his international career, coupled with the fact that he is a supreme athlete. He has had his share of rest periods which have puzzled cricket followers and ex-Test players but he has invariably emerged stronger.

Anderson described himself as, “a bit of a perfectionist” to Andy Wilson, who wrote an appreciation on him for the 2009 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in which he was named one of the five cricketers of the year. “Whether it’s cricket or, I don’t know, wallpapering a room at home. If it’s not absolutely perfect I just keep ripping it off the wall – that’s what drives my wife insane,” he revealed.

Although Anderson admitted then that he started to go easy on himself, he is still giving it a rip much to the chagrin of opposition batsmen. Some of them may have expected their foe to quit after the last Ashes series in England during the summer of 2019. But some champions don’t know when to stop. Their final halt is as mystifying as the unpredictability of the goods they deliver.

mid-day’s group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello.Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper

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