London: England pace spearhead James Anderson who got Virat Kohli out four times in the six innings that he played in England in 2014, stated Monday that the Indian skipper must have been ‘lying’ when he said ‘it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t score runs as long as India wins’.
“It doesn’t matter if he gets runs or not? I think he is telling lies there,” Anderson said in jest when asked about Kohli’s statement.
At the beginning of the ongoing tour, Kohli had laughed off queries about his form and had said that he intends to enjoy his time here rather than obsess over his individual form as long as the team do well.
“For India to win here, of course it matters whether Virat will score or not. Virat will be desperate to score runs for his team, as you would expect from the captain and one of the best players in the world,” Anderson, who has dismissed Kohli five times overall, stated.
“Today, cricketers learn from not only watching match footage but also from past experiences. So I would expect a batsman of Kohli’s quality to have learnt from that last series here (in 2014). “I am sure he (Kohli) is practicing hard at certain aspects of his game and that will make the battle between him and not just myself, but him and the rest of our bowlers, a really exciting one,” the 35-year-old pacer added.
Interestingly, there is a heat wave in England at present and the conditions could suit India more in the upcoming series.
It is difficult to choose between Virat, (Joe) Root and (Kane) Williamson as to who is the best. Each are great in their own way, their own individualistic style of playing
“We have had a hot few weeks (and a hot summer overall). So the pitches may well be dry and suit India more than us. That is something we will take into account when the series starts. We will also be hoping that there is some rain which will help grass to grow on the pitches,” Anderson pointed out.
Anderson was candid enough to admit that it is difficult to bowl to a batsman of Kohli’s class who has scored 301 runs in six innings in the shorter versions of the game.
“It doesn’t matter whether you bowl with the red or white ball to Virat… he is a class act and has so much time that he can play the ball very late,” Anderson stated. “It is hard to bowl with both the white and red ball against Virat… doesn’t matter whether it swings more or less,” the pacer added.