India vs England | We need to enjoy James Anderson while he’s still playing, reckons Joe Root

The world’s number one Test bowler, James Anderson, has certainly proved his worth on the pitch in the current series as he almost single-handedly ran through the Indian batting line-up with England beating India by an innings and 159 runs at the Lord’s. Anderson led from the front as he picked up nine wickets over the course of the game picking up Indian openers - Murali Vijay and KL Rahul’s wicket in both the innings.

England captain, Joe Root, was all praise for his star bowler and called Anderson a special commodity in English cricket. He also went on to add that it was important for the team to enjoy the 36-year old’s class while he was still in the condition to play international cricket.

“He’s a special, special commodity, isn’t he? He’s something that doesn’t come along very often and we’ve got to enjoy him while he’s around. There’s been a chat about his longevity but at the minute he’s bowling better than he ever has before. Time and again, he puts in fantastic performances.

“For him to be performing as he is, is something else. Even though the conditions suited (him), you’ve still got to put the ball in the right area and ask the right questions of the batters. Throughout the whole game he did just that, he set the tone well with Stu (Broad), as a whole bowling group we were really, really good,” Root said in a post-match interview.

However, it was British all-rounder Chris Woakes who bagged the man of the match award. Woakes’ brilliant unbeaten 137 in the first innings and decent figures of 4/43 cinched him the prize. Woakes’ inclusion in the team was due to the absence of Ben Stokes who is currently undergoing a trial in Bristol. Root also heaped praise on Woakes, who claimed the wicket of his RCB teammate - Virat Kohli, as the former lauded his work rate.

“Ben is obviously a huge part of this squad, so it’s a miss him not being here this week,” said Root. But what it did was create an opportunity for Chris to come in and perform – and boy, he didn’t disappoint did he?

“He was outstanding. That’s something we really want to harness as an example to the guys in and around the squad – when you get your chance, make it as hard as possible to leave you out. It’s a great headache to have for us, going into next week,” Root added.