Unique swing bowler

When the Indian side have a batting collapse they donrsquot do it by half measures They were dismissed at the Adelaide Oval for a paltry 36 and then Headingley for a miserable 78 Both were monumental batting disasters and they occurred in the space of just eight monthsAt least India have the minor consolation of knowing that on both occasions they nicked a lot of deliveries rather than playing and missing and were brought undone by some very good bowlingThe collapse at Headingley was engineered by a master of his craft James Anderson is the best at his art his ability to control swing in both directions and disguise his intentions is masterly The remorseless way he sets up batsmen with the skill of a bent copper makes him an unstoppable force on his dayAndersonrsquos longevity and the fact that he achieves consistent movement without periodically losing one or other of his main deliveries means hersquos unique as a swing bowlerI had the pleasure of watching close up as Bob Massie conducted a masterclass in swing bowling at Lordrsquos in 1972 He captured 16 wickets on debutmdasheight in each inningsmdashand mesmerised the English batsmen with prodigious swingThere were other occasions when Massie consistently swung the ball and troubled batsmen but his Test career was over just 200 days after his Lordrsquos epicIndia humiliatedAnderson has done it successfully for 166 Tests with no end in sight to his swing bowling supremacy Indiarsquos top order may have been humiliated by a 39yearold taunter but itrsquos easier to accept when you succumb to a championThe big wicket that really put the skids under India was that of captain Virat Kohli This was the seventh time Anderson dismissed Kohli in Test matches and despite knowing how the ambush was planned the Indian skipper was unable to avoid such a deftlylaid trapOn my retirement a number of cricket enthusiasts gleefully reproached me ldquoGee you got out to John Snow a lotrdquo My response was ldquoat least I was getting out to one of the bestrdquo Not that itrsquos any great consolation but Kohli will have similar sentiments It also stands to reason that Kohli as the biggest danger in the Indian lineup is going to be regularly confronted by Anderson unless Joe Root misplaces his captaincy marblesItrsquos not much fun being bowled out for 78 in a Test match as I found out at Lordrsquos in 1968 At least Australia had the excuse of batting on a damp pitch as a rain storm had the water scuttling down the Lordrsquos slope onto the uncovered pitchAfter being bowled out so cheaply Indiarsquos only recourse was to hit back quickly and effectively In those situations a bowling leader needs to stand up and propel himself into the contestWestern Australia WA had a superman in that category and he donned his cape in the 197677 Gillette Cup semifinal as Queensland chased a mere 78 for victory at the WACA groundBefore WA went out to bowl their captain Rod Marsh exhorted his troops ldquoTherersquos a big crowd out there letrsquos give them some entertainmentrdquoBrushing past his captain Lillee turned as he reached the dressing room door ldquoDonrsquot worry about entertainmentrdquo he exploded ldquoletrsquos win the adjectival matchrdquoItrsquos one thing to say it but Lillee did it quickly sending West Indian Viv Richards and Greg Chappellmdashthe two opposition championsmdashon their way as WA charged into the finalDisastrous responseIn Indiarsquos case their response was a disaster Kohlirsquos opening choice Ishant Sharma bowled a horrendous first over and England was quickly on its way to a huge total Ishant was a strange choice in a situation where early wicketsmdashRoot especiallymdashwere essential to Indiarsquos hopes of containing Englandrsquos leadHaving produced an amazing comeback to win the series after a disastrous collapse at Adelaide India are now faced with a similar mountain to climb following the Headingley debacle