“May be if he played in India...," Ishant makes a bold remark while hailing Zaheer as better bowler than Anderson

Ishant claimed that Anderson's career wouldn't have been the same had he been from India.

By Salman Anjum - 25 Jun, 2023

England’s James Anderson is widely regarded as one of the finest and most prolific fast bowlers in the history of Test cricket.

Anderson has been in the international circuit since 2003 and playing 180 Tests as a seamer is a testimony to his longevity. Earlier this year, he dethroned India’s R Ashwin to claim the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s Test Rankings for bowlers at the age of 40.

Anderson, who will turn 41 next months, has 686 scalps to his name in the longest format at an average of 26.12 with 32 five-wicket hauls. His wickets tally is the third most by a player in Test history.

While Anderson continues to be an integral member of the English Test team, veteran India pacer Ishan Sharma has raised a question on his career.

Speaking to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia on 'The Ranveer Show', Ishant claimed that Anderson's career wouldn't have been the same had he been from India.

Sharma also made a bold statement while comparing the England legend with retired India pacer Zaheer Khan.

"Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. May be if he played in India...," Ishant remarked before he stopped.

The host then smiled and said, "...maybe he wouldn't have found that kind of success."

Ishant nodded and replied: "Zak. He is better than Jimmy Anderson."

On a different note, Ishant Sharma also clarified an incident from 2014 Wellington Test, where he seemed to be abusing Zaheer Khan on the field.

“I had told that to myself. To this day, people don’t understand to whom I said that. I have never abused anyone who has dropped a catch. How can say that to Zak? He is literally like guru for me. I have never even thought about saying anything like that. It was just frustration because Brendon McCullum was scoring a lot of runs. There were only three fast bowlers - me, Zak and [Mohammad] Shami. After almost every four overs, we had to bowl again and the wicket was very flat. I was just removing the frustration on myself," Ishant said.

Zaheer Khan represented India in 92 Tests, picking up 311 wickets at an average of 32.95, including 11 five-wicket hauls.

By Salman Anjum - 25 Jun, 2023

TAGS