Veteran England pacer James Anderson is likely to be rested against India. His spell of 3 for 17 in the first Test was the key behind the visitors winning the Test match. He dismissed Shubman Gill, Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant to turn the tide in England’s favour. In the process, he took his wickets tally against India in India to 31. He also has the most wickets against India in Test cricket.

In recent times, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are often rotated by the England management. Meanwhile, it looks likely that the veteran pacer will be rested for the second Test to keep himself ready for the third day-night Test against India in Ahmedabad. The two pacers were also rotated in the recently concluded Test series against Sri Lanka.

Also Read: Joe Root Jumps To 3rd Spot In Latest ICC Test Rankings; Virat Kohli Drops

It’s Hard To Leave Out James Anderson: Chris Silverwood, England Coach

“It is hard (to leave Anderson out), he is a class act, you’ll have to wait and see… But I’m not reluctant to change the winning team. Broady didn’t play in the last game and we’ve many bowlers here who we could play at any given point,” said Silverwood. 

The coach, hence, feels that resting his most experienced pacer for the second consecutive match at the venue is the best thing.

“It’s the best thing to do for the players and it’s the best thing to do for the team and the longevity of it. I mean you run the risk of opposite result being different. But you could play the same team, and the result could still be different…”, he said.

James Anderson took five wickets in the first Test and his reverse swinging spell in the second innings was a masterclass of reverse swing bowling. At 38, he still looks fresh and raring to go. He has the most number of wickets for a bowler after the age of 30 and his experience was again on display in Chennai in the first Test.

Also Read: Cheteshwar Pujara Also Benefitted With Rishabh Pant’s Approach- VVS Laxman