‘It’s a shame he’s not been playing…’ – James Anderson opens up on Virat Kohli’s absence from India vs England Test series

Australia’s fast bowler James Anderson has spoken about Virat Kohli’s absence in the ongoing five matches of the Test series between India and England. Notably, the former India skipper, Virat Kohli, has recently withdrawn from the five matches of the Test series against England as he recently became a father for the second time and sets to enjoy his time with his family in London.

However, England’s fast bowler James Anderson says that England fans are extremely pleased with Virat Kohli’s absence in the game due to his lethal batting, which can single-handedly destroy England’s bowler. The 41-year-old cricketer accepted that he had faced difficulties while bowling to India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli in the game and called it a big shame as he isn’t playing the Test series.

“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,” James Anderson said on Jio Cinema.

It’s not a fluke that Jasprit Bumrah has got to number one in the world: James Anderson

James Anderson also talks about fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and his strength, which makes him so exceptional. Notably, the right-arm pacer missed the fourth Test match due to workload management, but he is included in the fifth Test match against England. Moreover, the right-arm pacer reveals that Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class bowler, and he isn’t surprised by his great performance in the ongoing Test series.

“You know that reverse swing can play a big part in India and he’s (Bumrah) a great exponent of it. That Yorker we saw to Ollie Pope, he’s got that up his sleeve as well. It’s not a fluke that he’s got to number one in the world. He’s a world-class bowler and from our point of view we weren’t surprised that he put up a performance like that,” he added further.