It is that time in international cricket when multiple teams are concurrently in a transition phase where legendary careers and eras are on the verge of conclusion. One era that has all but concluded is that of Virat Kohli vs James Anderson in Test cricket.
Virat Kohli, who had pulled out from the first two Test matches against England due to personal reasons, will also not be available for the remainder of the three Tests. This means that fans wouldn’t get to see the historic battle between Kohli and veteran England pacer James Anderson one more time in Test cricket.
With Anderson being 41 years old and having taken only a one-year contract with the ECB, it is all looking very likely that the seamer would retire at the end of the home summer this year. Even the away Ashes in Australia in 2025/26 seems a bit too far for Anderson to play. England host West Indies and Sri Lanka from July to September this year; the first Test against Sri Lanka is at Anderson’s home ground in Manchester, though the veteran seamer has not indicated any plans of retirement yet.
Virat Kohli vs James Anderson stats:
In Test cricket, Virat Kohli averages 43 against James Anderson and has been dismissed by the England pacer 7 times. Six out of those 7 dismissals have come in England.
The difference in Kohli’s numbers against Anderson at home and away is huge. While in England Kohli averages 33 against Anderson, in India, his batting average soars to 103 against the leading Test pacer in the world.
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Virat Kohli struggled heavily against Anderson in the 2014 series in England, when Anderson dismissed him four times. However, Anderson couldn’t dismiss Kohli even once in the 2018 series in England, where Kohli amassed over 500 runs. Anderson couldn’t dismiss Kohli on his last two tours to India, in 2016 and 2021.
Also Read: Ravi Shastri Recalls How A Hungry Jasprit Bumrah Impressed Him And Virat Kohli For Tests
