James Anderson Wanted To Play Against 'Best Batsman In The World' Virat Kohli

Ahead of the fifth test match between India and England, senior speedster James Anderson on Saturday said he wanted to play against Virat Kohli. In a chat show with Jio Cinema, Anderson said it is a shame that Virat Kohli is not part of the thrilling series, he was looking forward to play against the 'best in the world' Kohli. For the unversed, a rivalry between Virat Kohli and James Anderson is something fans always want to see on-field as both are masters of their skills.

Virat Kohli opted out of the five-match test series against England following personal reasons. He became father for the second time.

"Yeah, you always want to play against the best players. And it's been a shame that he's not been a part of the series. We have had some great battles over the years. But not just for me, I think as a team you want to play against the best in the world and he certainly is that," Anderson said.

India has already sealed the series by 3-1 against England with one match due to be played at Dharamshala slated from March 7, 2024.

He added many English fans would be happy because of Virat Kohli's absence as he is an ace batsman for India. However, he wanted to play along with Virat.

"I guess English fans will be thankful he's not playing because he's such a quality player. But from our point of view, you want to test yourself, you want to come up against the best and he's been someone who I've found really challenging to bowl at over the years and it's a shame he's not been playing," the English pacer added.

James Anderson notched 8 wickets in 6 innings of 3 matches he played.