James Anderson Offers Surprising Take, Reveals Virat Kohli Posed A Tougher Test Than Sachin Tendulkar

Legendary English pacer James Anderson made a startling revelation that he found it tougher to face off against Virat Kohli than he did against Sachin Tendulkar. The Englishman expressed that he had a determined and battle-ready mindset which made things tough for him to face the Indian superstar. Anderson added that Kohli became very competitive after he gained success.

James Anderson Claims Virat Kohli Was Tougher To Face Than Sachin Tendulkar

Virat Kohli has been one of the biggest ambassadors of Test cricket. His aggressive mindset and tenacious mentality brought back the attention it deserved from the fans. Kohli had recently stepped down from the red-ball format, making him a one-format player as he remains a part of ODI cricket for Team India. The Indian batter's void would be felt when India tours England.

The Indian cricketer's competitiveness put the opposition on alert as he went on to become one of India's most successful Test captains. Not just the skippers, but veteran cricketers like James Anderson have expressed that Kohli was more challenging to face than the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar.

"Against Sachin, for example, I didn't feel like there was that sort of shift in dominance. With Kohli, there was definitely a shift. Found him a very difficult player to bowl at because he had that steely mindset, wanted to get into a battle. He's very competitive, and after that initial success, it was very difficult to bowl against," James Anderson said during an appearance on the talkSport podcast.

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Team India To Embark On A New Journey In Tests Against England 

The retirements of R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have left a significant void in the Indian Cricket Team. Kohli's resilience, Rohit's captaincy skills and Ashwin's all-around brilliance have been extremely successful for Team India. Now that Indian Test cricket's Big 3 have retired, a new leadership unit has been formed to continue the Men in Blue's legacy in Test cricket.

With Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant being anointed as the new leadership unit, Team India commence their new World Test Championship Cycle 2025-27 against England in an away tour. The five-match red-ball series would put the Men in Blue to the test as a young and dynamic side would be up against one of test cricket's biggest powerhouse in their backyard.

Team India makes their first stop at Leeds for their first Test match against England on June 20, 2025.  

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