James Anderson pays rich tribute to 'fiercest' rival Virat Kohli: 'The battles we had were incredible'
James Anderson spoke about Virat Kohli's ‘fierce’ presence, which became the hallmark of the India great's legacy as he called time on his Test career this week
England pace legend James Anderson has hailed Virat Kohli as the fiercest competitor he’s ever faced in international cricket, while backing India’s new generation of aggressive batters to step up following the Test retirements of both Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Speaking on talkSPORT, Anderson reflected on his legendary on-field battles with Kohli and lavished praise on the former India captain’s competitive spirit.
“Incredible. I've said Joe [Root] is at the top, (because of) his ability to adapt to different conditions. He tinkers with his techniques all the time, which makes sure he's ready for everything that's thrown at him. But I think the fiercest competitor out of that top-4 is definitely Kohli,” Anderson said.
“The battles we had were incredible. He's a guy you want to get into a battle with on the field. He stood his ground, and he's obviously a fantastic player as well.”
When asked to compare the modern-day Fab Four (Kohli, Root, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson) with Indian great Sachin Tendulkar, Anderson said: “Just below Tendulkar!”
Kohli brought down the curtains on a storied Test career earlier this month, finishing with 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries. Rohit Sharma followed suit shortly after, ending his red-ball journey with 4,301 runs from 67 Tests at 40.57, with 12 hundreds and 18 fifties.
The Indian batter enjoyed a famous rivalry with Anderson throughout his Test career. While the England great has dismissed Kohli on 7 occasions, Kohli scored 305 runs in 36 innings against Anderson at 43.57.
Anderson on India's transition
With Kohli and Rohit Sharma retiring from Test cricket, Team India is set to enter a new era in red-ball cricket without two of its most iconic batters. Anderson acknowledged the magnitude of the transition but expressed confidence in India's bench strength.
“Great players. Kohli, one of the greatest Test batters that's ever been,” Anderson said.
“There will be a new captain because Sharma has retired. There's big shoes to fill there but they've got a huge amount of talent in their squad.”
The 41-year-old veteran, who called time on his international career last year, also lauded the IPL for India's rich depth in talent.
“You just have to watch the IPL. They are bringing players into Test cricket from the IPL now who are just so attacking, aggressive, and fearless,” he said.
