James Anderson did not dismiss Virat Kohli in the 2018 series between England and India. Over the course of five Test matches, India’s captain amassed 593 runs, scoring two hundreds and three fifties, despite Anderson constantly being brought on to bowl to him each time he arrived at the crease. Kohli’s mastery was extraordinary. Nobody else who batted more than three times in the series averaged over 40. In the battle between Anderson and Kohli, there was seemingly only one winner. But those statistics don’t tell the full story. Not by a long shot.
Anderson and Kohli’s duel over the course of the 2018 series was epic, two giants of the sport going at each other full bore. Each time Anderson had the ball in his hand at the end of his run-up and Kohli settled over his bat to face him, the energy in the grounds heightened. The crowd knew what was coming. They knew Anderson was going to be relentless with his accuracy and move the ball at will. They knew Kohli was going to be disciplined but spring into action as soon as there was an opportunity to score. The crowd knew, above all, that it was going to be cricket of the very highest standard.
In all, Anderson drew 44 false shots out of Kohli across the series, a remarkable number. He had Kohli dropped twice in the slips and had two LBWs turned down which were umpire’s call. There were numerous play and misses and edges which evaded or fell short of the slip fielders. Anderson wore his familiar exasperated look so much his face must have hurt. In the end, he was fined in the final Test for showing dissent at a disallowed LBW decision. Kohli played with huge skill and character during the series but even his most one-eyed supporter would agree he had some luck as well. Anderson had precious little of it.
In between the false shots, Kohli played like a genius in conditions that generally favoured fast-bowlers all the way through. Although he rarely missed an opportunity to put the bad ball away, Kohli played Anderson cautiously, recognising the odds were in the Lancastrian’s favour. India’s captain put his usual aggressive approach away and prioritised survival and defence and simply getting through. It is not always easy for batsmen to go against their natural instincts. It takes resolve and huge mental strength, particularly to do it for as long as Kohli did against Anderson.
Kohli’s performances in that series were a triumph and a far cry from how he fared in the 2014 rubber in England. Anderson dismissed Kohli four times in that series and had him on toast. Four years later though, Kohli was a different player. Anderson was at his best and yet this time, Kohli was good enough to combat him. “I just felt like he left the ball really well,” Anderson told Test Match Special after that 2018 series. “The first time he came over [in 2014], when I was bowling an out-swinger, he’d try and chase it a little bit early on.
“So that brought the edge and slips into play. I just felt like he left a lot better [in 2018] and was a lot more patient, waited for you to come to him because he is very strong off his legs. And then once he got in, he’ll start playing a bit more expansively. I just thought his all-round game, both his mental approach and his technique was just that little bit better.”
Both Anderson and Kohli are master technicians, constantly honing their games. That’s why they have been so consistent for so long. It will be fascinating to see what plans both players come up with to try and outwit each other in the upcoming series. On its own, the duel between Anderson and Kohli will be gold standard cricket but their head-to-head over the next few weeks will be given added spice given the position both sides find themselves in ahead of the first Test.
India’s middle order has had its issues of late with both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane struggling for runs, as well as Kohli. With Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarawl both injured, there will be a new look opening combination too. As a result, India’s batting line-up has a vulnerability about it that has not been there for a while and England can exploit that if the conditions favour seam and swing bowling. Kohli, as he did in 2018, will be looked upon to lead from the front, to hold his team together.
Similarly, given the fragility of England’s own batting, particularly without Ben Stokes, Anderson, and the rest of England’s bowlers, are going to have to have a storming series. Anderson remains the leader of England’s attack and although Stuart Broad is in a rich vein of form and the likes of Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood are improving, England still look to their 39 year-old, 617 Test wicket veteran at the big moments. More often than not, he delivers too. Anderson’s performance on the final day in Chennai in February when England had a Test win in their grasp was proof of that.
He is arguably an even better bowler than he was in that 2018 series and has had no nip in form despite injury issues. His pace continues to be in the low to mid 80s and he has become even more accurate lately. He conceded less than two runs an over in three Tests against India during the winter on pitches that offered him little and although his returns in the two Tests against New Zealand at the start of the summer were disappointing, there is no doubt he is still a force to be reckoned with. At the start of July, he took 7 for 19 against Kent, which included his 1000th first-class wicket.
For his part, Kohli is in a strange run of form. He has appeared in good touch across all formats but has not scored a Test hundred since November 2019, 14 innings ago, and averages 24.64 in that time. Indeed, that century against Bangladesh was his last international hundred in any format. He has been getting starts – in the World Test Championship final he made 44 and 13 – but has not been able to go on. For a player who prides himself on being the man, scoring the match defining runs, it has been a lean run of form. There is no doubt he will be desperate to return to his best in this series.
Both Anderson and Kohli will shoulder a lot of responsibility over the next six weeks, then. Their battle is set to have a significant impact on the outcome of this series. Although England won in 2018, Kohli emerged victorious in the individual duel with Anderson, not that the England seamer could have done much more. It was a battle for the ages, an epic contest between two champions. They both go again this week, older, wiser and still at the peak of their powers. Their teams need them, perhaps more than ever. The next chapter of Anderson v Kohli is nearly upon us. As ever, it should be compelling viewing.
