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England cricket icon James Anderson brought an end to his 21-year-long illustrious Test career on Friday (July 12). The 41-year-old fast bowler, who amassed a remarkable 704 wickets in his career, played his final match at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground against West Indies.
James Anderson’s illustrious test career ends on a high note
England secured a dominant victory over the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test, providing a fitting finale for the legendary seamer. Anderson contributed four wickets to England’s triumph but was outshone by the exceptional performance of debutant Gus Atkinson. The young pace bowler claimed 12 wickets, securing the second-best bowling figures for an English debutant in Test cricket history.
Reflecting on the battle against Virat Kohli
After the game, Anderson shared his thoughts on his career in an interview with Sky Sports. He reflected on various highlights, including his iconic battles with India’s talismanic batter Virat Kohli. Anderson acknowledged the fierce competition and mutual respect between them, highlighting how Kohli’s prowess sometimes made him feel inferior on the field.
“I feel like you go so up and down. Some series you feel amazing and then the next one, you’re not quite on it. Playing against [Virat] Kohli in the early days, you feel like you could get him out every ball; now, you feel like you can’t get him out at all and feel so inferior,” Anderson said.
Also READ: Cricket fraternity celebrate as England seals win over West Indies in James Anderson’s farewell Test
The Anderson-Kohli rivalry
In Test cricket, Kohli averages 43 against James Anderson and has been dismissed by the England pacer seven times. Six of those dismissals have come in England. The difference in Kohli’s numbers against Anderson at home and away is significant. While in England Kohli averages 33 against Anderson, in India, his batting average soars to 103 against the leading Test pacer in the world.
Kohli struggled heavily against Anderson in the 2014 series in England, when Anderson dismissed him four times. However, Anderson couldn’t dismiss Kohli even once in the 2018 series in England, where Kohli amassed over 500 runs. On his last two tours to India, in 2016 and 2021, Anderson couldn’t dismiss Kohli. Nevertheless, during India’s tour of England in 2021, Anderson managed to dismiss Kohli twice when the former Indian captain was going through a rough patch across all formats.
