During the fifth and final Test match between England and India in Dharamsala, seasoned England fast bowler James Anderson disclosed an interesting anecdote involving Kuldeep Yadav, who unwittingly became his 700th Test wicket. Anderson, marking his 187th Test appearance, achieved the milestone on March 9, becoming the first pacer and third bowler overall to reach 700 Test wickets.
During the match, Anderson engaged in banter with Indian batsman Shubman Gill, who eventually fell victim to him. Gill, who had been struggling with low scores, was nearing a century when Anderson teased him about his performance outside of India.
James Anderson said: “Kuldeep edged one down to third man for a single. As he got to the non-striker’s end, and as I was walking back to my mark, he said: ‘I’m going to be your 700th wicket”
“I don’t play cricket for milestones” – James Anderson
“He wasn’t saying he was trying to get out, he was just saying he had a feeling. We both laughed at it. I didn’t celebrate, there was nothing to celebrate. Obviously that was a nice moment to achieve the feat on a picturesque ground. I would have felt a bit more excited if we would have won.”
“I don’t play cricket for milestones, I play cricket to win matches for my team.” Anderson said despite the defeat, there was plenty of positives to take home from the away series. I really enjoyed this tour, obviously we lost 4-1, the results weren’t that great but we stuck together really well as a group. There were young spinners and batters who will learn so much from this tour.”
Gill chose not to divulge the details of their exchange during the post-day press conference, but Anderson later shared the conversation on the BBC Tailenders Podcast. He recounted playfully taunting Gill about his overseas Test record, prompting Gill’s response before dismissing him two balls later.
Anderson’s revelation sheds light on the playful banter that often takes place on the field between players, adding a humorous dimension to his historic achievement.
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