It's always tough bowling to Virat Kohli, insists James AndersonÂ
James Anderson has insisted that bowling to a quality batsman like Virat Kohli is always tough, but he is keenly waiting for his next encounter against Indian skipper early next year. He pointed out the technical improvements Kohli had made in 2018 and praised him for his impressive comeback.
When India toured England in 2014, Virat Kohli had a nightmarish tour, scoring just 134 runs in his 10 innings. He was facing difficulties adjusting to the pace-friendly conditions of England and was dismissed by James Anderson on four occasions. This was the only hiccup in an otherwise mind-blowing career of Virat Kohli. However, when Kohli went back to England in 2018, he was a different batsman altogether as he finished the Test series as the top run-scorer with an impressive 593-run tally with two centuries and three fifties to his name.
Anderson, who recently became the highest Test wicket-taker among pacers with 600 scalps, insisted that it is always tough bowling against a world-class player like Kohli but he enjoys the challenge and is keenly waiting for the next encounter against the Indian skipper when England travels to India early next year. Â
"It's always tough bowling at batsmen of that quality. It will be a tough battle but that's something I do enjoy. You want to get the best players out," Anderson told the Test Match Special podcast as quoted by Cricket.com
Anderson, who is currently in the fourth place among all-time highest Test wicket-takers, praised the RCB skipper for being the standout player in the 2018 series and pointed out that Kohli had become much more patient as compared to his gameplay in 2014.Â
"I had some success against him in 2014 and then he came back a completely different player in 2018 and was incredible,"Â he added.
"He left the ball really well in 2018. The first time he came over (in 2014), when I was bowling out-swingers he might chase it early on and that brought the edge and the slips into play. He left it a lot better and he was a lot more patient (in 2018). He waited for you to bowl at him and then he's very strong off his legs so he could score freely."Â