Ageless Anderson eager to unleash reverse-swing menace in India

James Anderson vs South Africa. (Photo Source: Stu Forster – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

India and England will take on each other in a five-match Test series beginning from January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. The series will be extremely crucial for both teams with the all-important World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake.

Recently, legendary England seamer James Anderson opened up about the challenges of the upcoming tour and the role he’s going to play in the series. Anderson said that he will be mentoring the bowling attack as a senior figure in the team.

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“That has been my role over the recent past anyway is stepping into that mentoring role as a senior figure. I have a duty to pass on information to people,” Anderson was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

The 41-year-old veteran further said that reverse swing will play a big part in the five-match affair, however, he also didn’t rule out the possibility of opening the bowling with two spinners.

“Reverse swing will play a big part. There might be occasions where we don’t open with a seamer. We might open with two spinners. Your role changes a huge amount then, you come on third or fourth change with set batsmen in. That is the challenge of playing in India,” he added.

Notably, Anderson was a part of the squad that beat India in their home last time in a Test series in 2012 by beating them by 2-1. The right-arm seamer scalped 12 wickets during the series from seven innings at an average of 30.25 with best figures of 4/81.

James Anderson had a good tour to India in 2021

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On the last tour to India in 2021, Anderson had another brilliant series picking eight wickets from four innings at an average of 15.87 and an economy of 1.92. The 41-year-old has played the second most number of Tests in the history of the game having played 183 matches.

He’s 18 more wickets away from levelling the legendary Shane Warne (708 wickets) as the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests as he currently has 690 scalps to his name. Anderson will be eyeing to etch his name in record books and help England register a historic series win.