With England facing an uphill task in trying to hunt down 332 runs with nine wickets in hand on the fourth day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, James Anderson says the team is looking to chase it in double quick time and would have even backed itself to get 600 runs.
“The chat last night from the coach (Brendon McCullum) was that if they get 600, we are going to go for it. That makes it very clear to everyone that we are going to try and do it tomorrow. I know there are 180 overs left in the game, but we are trying to do in 60 or 70. That’s just the nature of the way we play. We saw that tonight with Rehan [Ahmed] going out there and playing his shots in the last over. He wasn’t going to block it out. He wanted to go out there and chase those runs down, even tonight,” Anderson said at the end of the third day’s play on Sunday.
The 41-year-old also took a shot at India’s approach in the second innings and said the host was unsure of how many runs would be sufficient to defend despite having a healthy lead.
“The nerves were there to see today. The way they [India] batted; they didn’t know how many was enough. They were quite cautious at times, even when they had a big lead.”
India was bowled out for 255 in the second innings after it looked primed to extend its lead beyond 400 with Shubman Gill and Axar Patel going strong. However, once Gill perished, India’s innings was like a rudderless ship, as the last five wickets fell for just 35 runs.
The pacer also said that the different reactions of opposition teams to the way England has been playing Test cricket for the past two years adds to the conviction that it is doing something right, and Sunday felt like such a day.
“There have been moments throughout the last two years, particularly in the last 12 months, that made us think as a team we are doing something well because of the way teams have reacted. Going back to the Ashes, first ball of the Ashes, having a point on the boundary, sends a message that we are doing something right. I don’t know if intimidating is the right word, but we have put some different thoughts in the minds of the opposition or captains’ minds. It definitely felt like that today,” Anderson said.
Adding on to England’s revolutionary approach to Test cricket, which doesn’t believe in settling for a draw or going on the defensive, Anderson, who is on his sixth tour to India, said this one felt refreshingly different.
“It feels different from the previous tours I have been on. Everything we are thinking about is: how do we get the next wicket? There is no consideration of controlling the run rate or keeping it tight for a bit. It’s literally trying to take wickets. For me, that is great. Since Ben [Stokes] took over, it has made me think a little differently about the game; I think a little bit outside the box,” he said.
For now, though, England faces a daunting task, but Anderson believes the pitch is still good to bat on, and the dressing room is brimming with optimism.
“The wicket is still pretty good. The odd one is keeping low, but you expect that... We have so much quality in that dressing room. There are guys in there thinking they can get us 150 tomorrow and win us the game.”
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