Veteran England pacer James Anderson rued for having a missing chance to play against Team India star batter Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series. Kohli withdrew from the five Tests against visiting England team to be with his wife Anuksha Sharma for the birth of their second child, a son, Akaay.
Virat Kohli initially ruled out of the first two Tests but later decided to withdraw from the entirety of the Test series due to personal reasons. For the first time in his career, Kohli missed the entire Test series.
The last time former India captain took a break from International cricket for personal reason was in 2021 for the birth of his first child, a baby girl, Vamika.
'It's a shame he's not been playing': James Anderson
Speaking on Jio Cinema, James Anderson believes that it's a shame for the series not to have Team India's talismanic batter in the series. He added that England fans would be pleased with the absence of Indian talismanic batter in the ongoing Test series.
"Yeah, you always want to play against the best players. And it’s been a shame that he’s not been a part of the series. We have had some great battles over the years. But not just for me, I think as a team you want to play against the best in the world and he certainly is that." veteran England pacer said on Jio Cinema.
"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." he added.
Virat Kohli and James Anderson had some incredible face-offs with each other in Test Cricket. Two first came into loggerheads in 2012 and since then, Kohli and Anderson have been fiery rivals. Virat Kohli scored 305 runs against James Anderson while England pacer dismissed Indian batter seven times in 25 Tests.
