Legendary England pacer James Anderson expressed regret over not having the chance to compete against Virat Kohli in the five-match Test series with India. Kohli missed the entire series to be present for the birth of his second child. On February 15, Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma welcomed their son into the world, named Akaay. The couple also has a daughter named Vamika.
Anderson remarked on the historic rivalry he shared with Kohli, noting that England's supporters might feel relieved that Kohli did not participate in the series.
"Yeah, you always want to play against the best players. And it’s been a shame that he’s not been a part of the series. We have had some great battles over the years. But not just for me, I think as a team you want to play against the best in the world and he certainly is that. I guess English fans will be thankful he’s not playing because he’s such a quality player. But from our point of view you want to test yourself, you want to come up against the best and he’s been someone who I’ve found really challenging to bowl at over the years and it’s a shame he’s not been playing," he said on Jio Cinema.
During the 2014 tour of England, Anderson posed significant challenges for Kohli, who failed to reach a half-century in any of the five Tests, managing an average of just 13.50. Nonetheless, Kohli bounced back impressively in the subsequent tour of England four years later, becoming the series' highest run-scorer with 593 runs across five Tests, boasting an average of 59.30.
The encounters between Kohli and Anderson have always been fiercely competitive, both in England and India, leading fans to anticipate another thrilling showdown. However, Kohli's absence this time altered the dynamics.
With Kohli not in the lineup, the responsibility of leading the Indian batting effort fell to the young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal, with valuable contributions from captain Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. Despite a setback in the first Test in Hyderabad, India rallied to win the following three matches consecutively, clinching the series victory.
James Anderson's plaudits for Jasprit Bumrah
Anderson holds the view that the Indian bowlers, under Jasprit Bumrah's leadership, should be acknowledged equally with the batsmen for their contribution to the series victory.
"With someone of his quality, you expect that standard from him. You know that reverse swing can play a big part in India and he’s a great exponent of it. He’s got good pace and is very accurate, very consistent. That yorker we saw to Ollie Pope, he’s got that up his sleeve as well. It’s not a fluke that he’s got to number one in the world. He’s a world-class bowler and from our point of view we weren’t surprised that he put up a performance like that," Anderson said about Bumrah.
Anderson lauded India's fast bowling unit
"There are not many better bowlers than Bumrah, Shami and Siraj. They’re world-class bowlers. You put Ishant Sharma in there as well, and that’s a really strong bowling attack. For me, Zaheer Khan was someone I used to watch a lot to try and learn from. How he used the reverse swing, how he covered the ball when he ran into bowl, that’s something I tried to sort of develop on the back of playing against him quite a few times here."
Anderson is set to participate in the fifth and concluding Test at Dharamsala, which begins on March 7.
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