England batter Jonny Bairstow is enjoying great form with the bat at the moment. The middle-order batter stroked 106 and an unbeaten 114 to play a major role in England's seven wicket win over India in the rescheduled fifth Test which the hosts won here on Tuesday. Before that, he scored 1, 16, 8, 136, 162, 71 not out in the three-match Test series against New Zealand which England won 3-0. He has credited his recent success to freedom from Covid-19 rules and also the new-born enthusiasm under new Test head coach Brendon McCullum. 


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"It's the freedom we have now. We're not in hotel rooms, bubbles, having to do Covid tests everyday and we can do normal things like go to the shop, go for a beer, see your friends and family," Bairstow told the Tailenders podcast.


"All of those things accumulate together and obviously the excitement of working with Baz (McCullum) and the clarity he gave everyone."


Bairstow had some heated moments with former India captain Virat Kohli during the second innings of the fifth Test at Edgbaston. If James Anderson is to be believed, Bairstow was inspired to score his first-innings century against India after being sledged by Virat Kohli.


"Jonny was 80 not out and Virat had been going at him and sledging him a lot," said Anderson.


"I don't know if you saw the strike-rate difference? His strike-rate was about 20 before Virat started sledging him and about 150 after."



During the morning session of the third day of the fifth Test on Sunday, Kohli had something to say to Bairstow about his 'play and miss' game but the England batter wasn't someone to take it lightly.


The duo had a heated verbal exchange and at one point, the umpires had to intervene to cool down tempers.


"His (Bairstow's) first words back in the dressing room at lunch were: 'When will they learn to shut it?' If there's somebody you don't want to rub up the wrong way, it is Jonny Bairstow," said Anderson.


With PTI inputs