"Move forward, put your bat and say Jai Bajrang Bali" - Virender Sehwag on how to play James Anderson

Virender Sehwag has light-heartedly stated that batsmen need divine help to counter James Anderson's threat on the cricket field.

Anderson rocked the Indian batting line-up with a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test. The spell restricted the visitors to 364 runs when they seemed all set to post a much bigger score.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Sehwag joked that the only way to play Anderson was by having prayer on your lips. He elaborated:

"Move forward, put your bat and say Jai Bajrang Bali. Just pray that it somehow misses because the spot at which he bowls, there is only one fear, not about the ball going away but if the ball comes in, you will be LBW or bowled because you cannot leave the delivery."

The former Indian opener highlighted that while Anderson had dismissed Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara umpteen times, he got the better of Ajinkya Rahane this time around. Sehwag said:

"He bowled amazingly well. He has two pet customers, Pujara is there but this time Ajinkya Rahane got trapped, Kohli did not get trapped but otherwise when he bowls near the off-stump to these two players, it seems he will definitely get them out."

Anderson has dismissed Pujara on nine occasions in Test cricket, including both times in the current series. The veteran pacer has also got rid of the Indian skipper six times, with the first innings of the Nottingham Test being the last such instance.

---

"James Anderson's bowling was a carbon copy of Richard Hadlee" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Sanjay Manjrekar added that Anderson's bowling performance was similar to the one Sir Richard Hadlee used to dish out during his time. In this regard, he said:

"This bowling was a carbon copy of Richard Hadlee. He used to bowl just like this and he was the first one to take 400 wickets. Jimmy Anderson's performance that was seen in this Test match is praiseworthy."

The former Indian batsman signed off by stating that Anderson is no longer a threat only in English conditions but in the subcontinent as well. Manjrekar pointed out:

"He gets some help in England but nowadays his performance is not that bad in India as well. He does a decent job on those pitches as well. He did not play all the matches on the last tour but bowled well there."

James Anderson has scalped 34 wickets at an average of 29.32 in the 13 Tests he has played in India. His exceptional spell of 3/17 in the second innings of the first Test of England's tour of India earlier this year helped the visitors register a massive 227-run win.