<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/dec/13ashwin.jpg" alt="" />
When England&rsquo;s James Anderson walked out to bat yesterday morning, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave him a warm welcome, or so it looked like from a distance. It was only when Ashwin started following Anderson to the batting crease could one realise that the exchange between them didn&rsquo;t look like a very pleasant one. Ravindra Jadeja joined the duo.
Thereon, it became evident that there was something more than what met the eye. It continued for some time till the on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Bruce Oxenford intervened and brought the situation under control. Later on, India skipper Virat Kohli played the mediator between the conflicting parties. Jadeja&rsquo;s relationship with Anderson goes back to the Nottingham Test in 2014.
The England quick escaped punishment after his ugly spat with the India all-rounder due to &ldquo;lack of evidence&rdquo;, at least that&rsquo;s what the International Cricket Council&rsquo;s (ICC) disciplinary committee said. But there was clear video footage showing Anderson pushing Jadeja when he was crossing over for a run. India complained against behaviour, but England filed a counter-complaint suggesting that Jadeja was first to raise his bat and Anderson&rsquo;s reaction was only on self defence.&nbsp;
Anderson&rsquo;s dig at Kohli During Sunday&rsquo;s press conference at the end of the day&rsquo;s play, Anderson, despite England&rsquo;s poor record against spin in this series, took a dig at the Indian spinners suggesting that they &ldquo;are not hard to handle&rdquo;. He also talked about Kohli&rsquo;s &ldquo;technical deficiencies&rdquo; and how they go unnoticed in Indian conditions.
But interestingly, Kohli, who is known for his expressive leadership, played the uncharacteristic mediator in this case.
&ldquo;For the first time I was trying to calm things down in the middle at a time when James Anderson was involved,&rdquo; said Kohli. &ldquo;Ashwin wasn&rsquo;t pleased with what he said in the press, and I didn&rsquo;t even know about it. He told me on the ground. I didn&rsquo;t know what to make of it. I was laughing about it but Ashwin wasn&rsquo;t too impressed and he let Anderson know. He didn&rsquo;t use any bad words to do that.
Kohli calms down Anderson &ldquo;Ashwin told Anderson that he was pretty disappointed with what he said and it is important to accept defeat. Later on, I told James (Anderson) these things happen and let&rsquo;s move on,&rdquo; added the Indian skipper. Defending Anderson, England skipper Alastair Cook said: &ldquo;It was a bit of a sour end really. It was clearly in reference to what Jimmy had said on Sunday, which has been blown out of all proportions. A disappointing end in terms of how well the spirit between both sides has been played. But he was just stating a fact, which if you asked about Virat is probably quite true. It wasjust ticking up for their captain which was slightly unnecessary.&rdquo;

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Mumbai Test: Sparks fly on Day Five between Ravichandran Ashwin and James Anderson

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