'Wait till you come out to bat against me' - Mohammed Siraj lays bare about infamous altercation with James Anderson in 2021

India's Mohammed Siraj has improved leaps and bounces in the last few years, with his performance against England during their Test tour in 2021 being one the highlights of his rise in international cricket. The aggressive fast bowler revealed the full spectrum of his run-in with veteran English pacer James Anderson during that series. 

It was a feisty affair between two cricketing powerhouses when England hosted India for the first Test match of the series in Nottingham. The Asian outfit were in a position of strength after dismissing the hosts for just 183 runs in the first innings. The visitors also stumbled in their reply, but their lower-order batters, led by Ravindra Jadeja's fighting half-century frustrated the Three Lions.

The Indian tail wagged against the English bowlers and veteran pacer James Anderson got involved in a verbal spat with Mohammed Siraj after the latter's stifling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah. Nearly two years after the incident, Siraj laid bare the details of his infamous spat with the Englishman. 

"I was batting and Anderson was bowling. Me and Jassi-bhai [Bumrah] were batting and for us, every ball is a free hit – just swing the bat every time. Anderson came up to me and abused me. I felt angry and told him, ‘wait till you come out to bat against me.'

When he walked out to bat, I went up to him and said, ‘You’ve taken 600 wickets, but I don’t care. You have no respect for me.’ Anderson was quite angered by that and walked up to [Indian captain] Virat Kohli and told him: ‘What is he thinking? Is he mad or what?’ My words affected him, hurt his ego,” Siraj revealed his exchange with James Anderson on Breakfast with Champions.

Siraj has become a crucial part of the Bangalore bowling line-up

The spoils were shared in the match after rain saved the blushes of the home side on the last day of the first Test. However, It was the Indian pacer who had the last laugh in the duel as he cleaned up Anderson in the following Test match to script a historic victory for the Indian team at the Lord's.

The 29-year-old pacer from Hyderabad has been a crucial part of Royal Challengers Bangalore's bowling attack and was in contention for the IPL 2023 Purple Cap after making a blistering start to the ongoing season. However, he has been left behind by his compatriot Mohammed Shami after a couple of fruitless outings with the ball.