Jimmy Anderson says he struggles to replicate the sheer joy of taking a wicket in his everyday life and thus, after three months out with injury, the celebrations he displayed on the first day here came with an extra dose of satisfaction.
Anderson showed few signs of rustiness on his comeback to the Test side following a shoulder problem, with his figures of three for 44 from 16 overs a much-needed performance from the leader of Alastair Cook’s attack given an imposing performance by India’s batsmen and Stuart Broad’s own battle with fitness.
Broad claimed the initial breakthrough with the new ball by removing the opener KL Rahul for a duck but struggled thereafter when a cut to his right wrist during the first Test in Rajkot reopened. He later showing signs of soreness in his right foot and was hobbling.
Anderson, who replaced the rested Chris Woakes in the XI after joining the tour last week, was playing his first Test since August due to the stress fracture in his right shoulder that developed in the summer and has proved slow to heal.
When he followed up Broad’s initial breakthrough with the wicket of Murali Vijay, caught off the glove, the relief in his clenched-fist celebration was evident. “It was great to be back,” England’s record wicket-taker said. “I have spent the last two months working really hard to get back into the side. It’s been frustrating at times but it’s been worth it. Getting back out there with the lads was a great feeling in itself but to get a few wickets on the board made it even better.
“I have missed playing and missed taking a wicket. It is a feeling you can’t get in any other walk of life, or at least I struggle with it. To get out there and get amongst it meant a lot. It was the emotion of having worked hard to get in the team. I was delighted.”
Anderson followed up that early strike with two wickets in the final session, removing the centurion Cheteshwar Pujara and the No5, Ajinkya Rahane, at the end of an exhausting day in the field. Asked whether the injury had played on his mind during his comeback, the 34-year-old said: “To be honest I haven’t thought about the shoulder, it’s the rest of my body that’s in pieces right now.”
On the overall display, Anderson said: “We didn’t bowl as well as we would have liked but we stuck at it really well in the field. Four down isn’t the worst result for us. There were more signs here than in Rajkot that the pitch is going to fall apart.
“It did reverse a bit; the Pujara wicket came on the back of a bit of reverse swing but there isn’t a huge amount. The outfield and the square is quite lush – there is nothing to get the ball into the condition that you need.”
