“We had a fight on that ground where there was definitely a mutual respect.”
England pacer James Anderson says he and India captain Virat Kohli enjoyed the “spirited” mannerisms during the home Test series this summer and described the competition as his favorite of many duets with the star. . Batter.
Whenever India lock horns with England in the longest format of the game, the Kohli vs Anderson rivalry is one of the biggest discussions.
While Anderson dominated proceedings in 2014, the stylish Indian batsman turned things around and kept the speedster at bay during India’s 2018 tour of England.
This year, Anderson managed to get the Indian captain out twice in a span of four Test matches.
“This summer was probably my favorite competition with Virat. We’ve had some good fights over the years, both in England and India, but this year was definitely my favourite,” Anderson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “I got him out a few times but he scored some runs as well, and we had a fight on the field where there was definitely a mutual respect.
He said, “It was in a really good way, if that makes sense. Obviously we were going to get along with each other, but it was, well, exhilarating. So I really enjoyed it.”
Talking about the coveted Ashes series, Anderson said that he is looking forward to bowling to Australian batsman Steve Smith.
“As a bowler you always look at the best player, and for me Steve Smith has been Australia’s best player in the last three, four or five years.” “He is the one they rely on for the volume of their runs, obviously backed by people around him like (David) Warner and (Marnus) Labuschagne lately. But he has been their favorite over the years , so that would be the one we would be keen to get out early.” The veteran pacer said he would be content to play three or four Tests instead of all five to maintain his longevity.
“I’ll do exactly what I did over the summer. Hopefully I’ll play all five, but I’ll be happy with three or four. You manage it through the series,” Anderson said.
“We have a good team of bowlers, so we can rotate a little, as we have been doing for the last 18 months for two years.
“To be honest, at any age in Australia my chances of playing in all five (low. It takes a lot from you, especially in some places in the heat. So we just have to wait) and see,” They said.
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