IND vs ENG 2021: 3 English bowlers who have dismissed Virat Kohli most times in Test cricket
Such was the disastrous tour for Virat Kohli in 2014, that he was labeled James Anderson's bunny by the fans- a phrase the Indian skipper outrightly dismissed. Anderson could not dismiss Kohli even once in the 2016 and 2018 series between England and India.
Earlier this year, he said:
"I think James Anderson is a world-class bowler. I probably would have thought way too much into how to handle him in England in 2014. I think from then onwards, I would have treated every bowler as someone who's running with the ball, and I just need to play the ball, not the bowler."
"Having said that, he's gotten quite close to dismissing me a few times since then as well. In the last tour of England, a couple of catches were dropped. Even in the last game, a catch was dropped, so I could have been out a couple of more times to him. But that doesn't make anyone a bunny. Again, these are conversations that are quite one-sided. I've seen batters who are dismissed by other bowlers way too much. But it just becomes a conversation people have when they plot me and Jimmy against each other. We obviously have a lot of respect for each other's skillsets," Virat Kohli added.
That said, there is still no erasing the fact that Anderson is one of those bowlers who has had a good run against Kohli. Ahead of the start of the five-match Test series starting August 4, we take a look at three bowlers who have won the contests against Virat Kohli.
#1 James Anderson: Has dismissed Virat Kohli five times
The English pacer got the better of the Indian batsman four times in the five-Test series in 2014. Kohli ended that series without a half-century. And while Kohli has done his homework, Anderson in home conditions is a tough challenge. Only time will tell who gets the better of whom, and it promises to be a cracking contest.
#2 Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has not been named as part of the first two Tests against India and that may serve as a disadvantage for England considering he has been one of the most successful English bowlers against Kohli.
Moeen has dismissed Virat Kohli five times, the same number of times as Anderson and Ben Stokes.
#3 Stuart Broad
Broad is one of the other threats Virat Kohli will have to counter when he walks out to bat at Nottingham in the first Test. The deceptive seamer is on par with Ali, Stokes and Anderson by getting the better of Kohli five times as well.