The Ashes remains the pinnacle of Test cricket for James Anderson "like any Englishman" but the showdowns against India also rank pretty high as the world No.1 side brings out the absolute best in him -- the 2012 away series being a case in point. "We have played against South Africa when they were number one in the world and that was a good test, and India is exactly the same for me," Anderson told PTI in an interview ahead of the five-match Test series starting August 1 in Birmingham. "2012 was one of the best series I have ever played in, for me, in India.

As a seam bowler, you go to India and everyone says that the spinners will take wickets so you want to prove to people that you can succeed in those conditions," he said. "So for me that was a really proud series of my career. You always want to play against the best and do well against the best. That always inspires me to try and push myself and play as well as you can," he added. Anderson had played a starring role in England's 2-1 series win in India back in 2012, with 12 scalps in four matches.