Matchups are now a major topic in discussions about cricket today. However, a fascinating competition between James Anderson and Virat Kohli, two players who are extraordinarily skilled in their respective fields, has been quietly developing over the previous ten years even before this term made its way into the discourse of cricket experts.
Since Anderson had long since left the white-ball international cricket team, there were very few possibilities for their antagonism to show on the cricket pitch. But whenever these meetings took place, the result was an interesting and entertaining show. Even Anderson, who recently participated in his final international match against the West Indies, couldn’t help but think back on the many duels he had with Kohli because of how captivating these fights were.
At first, Anderson said that he was having a varied experience overall, describing some of the series as outstanding and others as less so for all bowlers, not just himself. Then, thinking back to the 2014 tour to England, he highlighted the five wickets that Anderson had against Kohli in ten innings. He added that in the past (the most recent visits in 2021 and 2018), Anderson felt disappointed by his inability to dismiss Kohli, which left him feeling inferior. In contrast, early in Kohli’s career, he seemed easier to bowl to and seemed susceptible to removal every ball.
“You fluctuate so much. In certain series, you feel like you’re on it, and in others, a batter overcomes you. When you first started playing against Virat Kohli, you thought you could get him out of every ball; but, as of late, it seems impossible to get him out of the game. You feel like such a little kid,” Anderon said on Sky Sports.
Also Read: “Sense of immortality”: Ian Bishop extols the qualities of the incomparable James Anderson
In order to add even more statistical context to their long history together, Kohli faced Anderson for 36 innings, scoring 305 runs on 710 deliveries. In these matches, Kohli was dismissed seven times and hit 39 boundaries overall.
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