Virat Kohli on facing James Anderson: I need to play the ball, not the bowler

India skipper Virat Kohli on how he changed his approach towards Jimmy Anderson after becoming the pacer’s victim several times during the 2014 England tour

Back in 2014, during India’s tour to England, it became a rather common sight to see pacer James Anderson luring Virat Kohli to poke at seaming deliveries only to be caught in the slips or by the wicketkeeper. It was a horrendous tour for Kohli, who managed just 134 runs from 10 innings with Anderson dismissing him four times. 

Grit and determination

That tour transformed Kohli’s approach towards a top-notch bowler like Anderson. This is the third time India and England are meeting since 2014, but such has been Kohli’s determination that Anderson has not been able to repeat his success against the Indian captain. Till 2015, Kohli managed just 42 runs off 131 balls against Anderson and was dismissed by the England pacer on five occasions. Since 2016, Kohli has scored 190 runs in 417 balls and has not got out to Anderson even once.

On the eve of the fourth Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium here, in response to mid-day’s question at the pre-match virtual press conference about his improved success rate against England’s pace great, Kohli said: “Jimmy Anderson is a world-class bowler. I probably would have thought way too much about how to handle him in England in 2014. From there onwards, I have treated every bowler as someone, who is running in with the ball, as I need to play the ball not the bowler.”

Anderson may not have dismissed Kohli in the 2016 series and the 2018 tour to England, but the Indian captain was dropped thrice off his bowling. En route his 149 in the first innings of the opening Test at Birmingham, Kohli was dropped on 21 and 51, by David Malan. Then, in the third Test at Motera here, Ollie Pope dropped a relatively easy chance at gully when Kohli was on 24.

Kohli however, dismissed the bunny tag attributed to a batsman, who gets out frequently to a particular bowler. “I could have been out a couple of more times to him [Anderson], but that does not make anyone a bunny. I have seen batters, who are dismissed by other bowlers way too much, but it just becomes a conversation for people when they plot me against Jimmy. We obviously have a lot of respect for each other. You always have to be on top when you’re facing him and I have continued to do that. It’s just been that in the last few games, he has not been able to dismiss me but that doesn’t mean he’s not a potent bowler or his skill is not good enough anymore,” said Kohli. 

Proud childhood coach 

Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma, with whom he still discusses his game, felt that the Indian skipper has worked hard to counter Anderson. “Jimmy bowled superbly in that [2014] series. Anybody would have got out to him. But he [Kohli] is now more sure of where his off stump is and has focused on leaving the balls outside the off stump. I’m proud of the way he has tackled Anderson after that 2014 series,” Sharma told mid-day from New Delhi.  

With Anderson, 38, in the twilight of his career, Test cricket lovers will be hoping for another mouth-watering clash between Kohli and the England pacer for probably one last time on the Indian soil.

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