When James Anderson, England’s No.11, walked out to bat on the morning of day five, he encountered a fired-up R Ashwin who welcomed him to the crease with a flurry of words. The on-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and Marias Erasmus tried to calm things down even as Ashwin walked around the playing area and continued to direct words at Anderson. Eventually, it was India captain Virat Kohli who turned peacemaker, calmly speaking to Anderson with a smile on his face.

Later, Kohli himself revealed at the post-match press conference that Ashwin’s on-field confrontation had been a result of Anderson’s comments in the preceding day’s presser.

Ashwin has Kohli's back

Responding to a question on Kohli’s batting and how he had evolved from the lows of the 2014 England tour (where he averaged 13.50 from five Tests), Anderson felt that the India captain’s technical deficiencies weren’t exposed in Indian conditions as they were very different from those at play in England.

“I am not sure he [Kohli] has changed,” Anderson said. “I just think any sort of technical deficiencies he has got aren’t in play out here. The wicket is just like that. The pace is not the pace in the wickets like we nicked him off in England with a bit more movement and some pace in the pitch. He is much more suited to playing in these conditions.”

Kohli later said that he had taken up the role to douse the fire between the two. “For the first time, I was trying to calm things…,” Kohli said.

“Ashwin wasn’t pleased with whatever he [Anderson] had said in the press.” Kohli explained, “Ashwin told me on the ground. Obviously, I had no clue about it. I didn’t know what to make of it, I was laughing about but Ashwin wasn’t too impressed, so he let him know.”

England captain Alastair Cook was unimpressed by the entire episode, calling it “a disappointing end in terms of how well the spirit’s been between the sides”. India ended up winning the Test by an innings and 36 runs.

Kohli was dismissed by Anderson four times during the 2014 series in the UK, but not once on England’s 2016 tour. On the ongoing 2021 tour, Anderson has leveled with Nathan Lyon for the most Test dismissals of Kohli by any bowler (7).

Watch the incident here: