Watch: Virat Kohli recalls admiration for James Anderson

Virat Kohli and James Anderson. (Source – Twitter/X)

Veteran England pacer James Anderson has retired from international cricket. The 41-year-old played his final game at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in the first Test of the ongoing series against the West Indies. On the occasion of his retirement, Star Sports took centre stage and gave a tribute to Anderson.

They shared a clip of star India batter Virat Kohli, where he was seen expressing his admiration for Anderson. In the old clip, Kohli talked about his early years, revealing his deep affection for Anderson, which began during an England tour.

The clip also had several big moments from Anderson’s career, and in it Kohli was seen revealing that he used to try and copy Anderson’s bowling action in his early days playing cricket.

Also Read: Babar Azam picked by social media users over blunder in James Anderson’s farewell post

“We were playing a Test match in Southampton during an England tour, and James Anderson was bowling. After the match, I told him that I used to copy his bowling action when I was in the cricket academy,” Kohli told Star Sports.

The duo has shared the stage for many years, and despite their on-field rivalry, both have mutual respect for each other, which is quite evident. Kohli has faced Anderson 36 times in Test cricket, scoring 305 runs off him with 39 boundaries, while Anderson has dismissed Kohli on seven occasions.

With 704 wickets to his name, Anderson finished his career as the third-highest wicket taker in Test cricket history, a stalwart for England cricket, the speedster will be remembered as one of the greatest pacers of all time and not just his generation.

Recently, the 41-year-old also came forward to talk about his battles with Virat Kohli. “I feel like you go so up and down. Some series you feel amazing and then the next one, you’re not quite on it. Playing against [Virat] Kohli in the early days, you feel like you could get him out every ball; now, you feel like you can’t get him out at all and feel so inferior,” Anderson told Sky Sports.