Ahead of the much-anticipated five-match Test series against India, England’s prime fast bowler James Anderson has picked the most prized Indian wicket. With the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship starting with this series, both teams will aim to start with a win.
Anderson, who has 617 Test wickets under his belt, will be key as the hosts will look to trump a dominant Indian side. Ahead of the first Test, James Anderson has picked the wickets of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara as the most important among Indian batters.
Speaking to the Sportstar, James Anderson said:
“India has got a very strong batting lineup. It is very difficult to single players out because they have got quality throughout the squad. We saw that on our recent tour of India. (Virat) Kohli is important because he is the captain, and you can see the influence he has on the team. (Cheteshwar) Pujara holds the innings together, so he is an important wicket.”
“I think if you look through the lineup – the guys who miss out also have huge quality – we have got to try and make a plan for everyone,” he added.
Incidentally, James Anderson made Virat Kohli his bunny during his first visit to the UK in 2014. Kohli got out to him four times and managed only 134 runs in 10 innings. But four years later, Kohli turned the tables on him, dishing out 593 runs from 10 innings at a brilliant average of 59.30.
It is a different challenge against new generation batters: James Anderson
Speaking about the challenges of playing against the likes of Rishabh Pant, James Anderson feels fortunate to play against cricketers from different generations. Incidentally, Pant played an audacious reverse sweep off a new-ball delivery from James Anderson.
“It’s something I feel fortunate to have done. It’s been a real experience playing against different generations of batters. I think you can see a difference with the IPL (Indian Premier League) generation of players… there’s a more fearless approach – they are not scared of playing any shot in any format of the game. Rishabh Pant is an example, reverse-sweeping me with the new ball on our last tour to India.”
“You never saw Sourav Ganguly do that. It is exciting to see. It is a different challenge for bowlers when you face a player who is not afraid to go over the top in Test cricket or play extravagant shots. It is also great for the viewers,” he added.
The first of the five-match Test series starts on August 4 (Wednesday) in Nottingham.
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