Jonny Bairstow is England’s most in-form batsman this year. In fact, he is the best player in Test cricket in 2022. Yet, the man who terrorized New Zealand, with two brutal hundreds, could hardly bowl a ball as Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah put him to the test by fire late on on the second day when he returned unbeaten on 12 off 47 balls to fight another day. He hoped a brighter forecast with sunshine on day three at Edgbaston on Sunday would make life a lot easier. But he did not find any favors from both Bumrah and Shami. Shami was ruthless with his line and cut Bairstow in half at least a dozen times. He also uses the pass smartly to trigger the fake shot. He went scoreless for 20 deliveries as all talk of ‘Bazball’ went out the window.
It’s tense outside between Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow 😳#ENGvIND https://t.co/3lIZjERvDW
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) 1656842794000 Then Virat Kohli, at slip, made the mistake Andrew Flintoff made in the World T20 match in Durban against India. Awaken a sleeping giant. Flintoff’s furious exchange with Yuvraj Singh saw him smash Stuart Broad for six sixes in the over. He also had to remember what happened when someone in the England camp threw a few jelly beans on the pitch when Zaheer Khan came into bat in the Trent Bridge Test in 2007. The left-arm seamer cruised through England and powered India to a narrow victory with an angry, sharp spell. On Sunday, Kohli also made the mistake of stabbing the bear. After the tenth game and Shami’s dismissal, Kohli, who had been talking non-stop from the slips, shouted at Bairstow, “a bit quicker than Southee, eh?” Bairstow signaled to the umpires with his gloves that the former Indian skipper was over-bullshit. Kohli approached him and asked him to “shut up, stand and beat”, followed by a finger-to-lips gesture. Umpires Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar intervened, as did England captain Ben Stokes at the no-striker end. A friendly pat on the shoulder from Kohli to Bairstow showed all was well. However, Bairstow was charged. From 13 not out from 61 balls, he suddenly said, “Right. I will show you guys, especially Virat, what I am made of.” After another play and miss, Kohli pointed at Bairstow and laughed, almost mocking the batsman. Two balls later, a length ball was skinned over the gully by Shami for three and that seemed to get him going.
Jonny Bairstow’s strike rate before Kohli’s sledging -: 21Post Sledging – 150Pujara ki tarah khel rahe they, Ko… https://t.co/RrlFqCf22V
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) 1656850566000 Bumrah’s lofted drive over mid-on was the first statement of authority from the Yorkshireman, who wears the No.51 jersey as a tribute to his late father David Bairstow, who was born in 1951. Another aerial shot over mid-on of the attack on Shami was done and followed by a quick glance at Kohli out of the corner of his eye. It was a needle at its best and the engine was running hot. Steam was still coming out of his ears, but Bairstow did well to clear the red mist. After Bumrah got out and the less threatening Mohammed Siraj started his spell, Bairstow started to cash in. Short arm pull over mid-wicket, biff over cover, outrageous hit from the stumps, lift over middle with a short back lift, orthodox off-drive, ramp over the slips from Shardul Thakur, a couple of hits into the mid-wicket stands. The full repertoire was presented. Every aggressive shot was followed by a look at Kohli. The former India captain, who had a lot to say at the start, was as quiet as a church mouse.
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