James Anderson on Monday said he idolized Sachin Tendulkar when he was a young boy, after officials announced that the England-India Test series trophy would bear the names of the two cricketing legends. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will officially unveil the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy ahead of the five-Test series between India and England, starting June 20 at Leeds. “It’s a huge honour. I still can’t quite believe it. Sachin is someone I looked up to when I was growing up, though I don’t want to do him a disservice with his age,” Anderson told.
James Anderson: Pride in Playing Against India
“I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy is a huge honour for me, and I couldn’t be more proud.” Talking about his experience of playing against India, Anderson said, “There are some great memories, I always loved playing against India. I’d say, after the Ashes, it was the series that England look forward to the most.” “I obviously had some tough times in India, it’s a really hard place to go, but we won there which was a really special moment, and some of the battles we had in England were great. They had some amazing players.”
Outlook on the Upcoming Series
Anderson said India have put together a “strong squad” for the series in England following retirements of batting greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “This series is going to be exactly the same as you’d expect. I know India are going through a little bit of change with a new captain (Shubman Gill), and losing (Virat) Kohli and (Rohit) Sharma, but I still think they’ve got a strong squad with some really exciting players. “England obviously are trying to play a certain way. It lends itself to a really exciting series,” he added.
James Anderson’s Test Legacy in Numbers
James Anderson has dominated Test cricket since his debut in 2003. He has played 188 matches and bowled 40,037 deliveries across 350 innings. He has delivered 1,730 maiden overs and conceded 18,627 runs while picking up 704 wickets the highest by any fast bowler in Test history. Anderson recorded his best bowling figures at 7 for 42. He maintains an economy rate of 2.79, averages 26.4 runs per wicket, and takes a wicket every 56.9 balls. With 32 five-wicket hauls and 32 four-wicket performances, Anderson has firmly etched his name among the all-time greats of the game.
