James Anderson insists he will be fit to be part of the India tour
Despite being sidelined from bowling for the next three weeks, James Anderson is confident that he will feature in the side that faces India on their Test tour next month.
The 34-year old stated that he was confident of regaining fitness in time to be part of the the India tour that starts with the first Test at Rajkot on November 9.
“I'm very confident I'm going to be involved in the India series, it is a frustrating injury, something I want to get right, but it does happen in cricket, in sport, you get injured, you've just got to deal with it, and hopefully I can get as fit as possible as soon as possible", Anderson was quoted as saying to ESPNCricinfo.
With the baggage of an international career that started in December 2002, Anderson now needs to carefully manage his workload at the top level if he intends to carry on longer, especially in the longest format. He might not be able to play the whole series, but the Lancashire-born pacer is on his road to recovery.
Although he is confident of a return, it’ll be a big task for Anderson to be match-fit, considering the fact that there are no practice games scheduled in India before the first Test. He last played against Pakistan at The Oval in August.
He conceded that, although injuries have been a part of his playing career in the last year and a half, it doesn’t deter him from representing England at the international level.
In 119 Tests, the right-arm pacer has taken 463 wickets, and is the leading wicket-taker for his country, also the sixth overall. Amongst pacers, he sits behind just Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh, establishing his status as one of the modern greats of the game.
With the New Zealand series already in their kitty, the Indian team will be looking forward to the England series with the aim to consolidate their position at the top of the Test rankings. The visiting English team plays a five-Test series that will extend until December 20. By the looks of it, their premier pacer is raring to take on the Indians in their own backyard.
"I feel as fit as I ever have, I feel very strong, the rest of my body I've been working hard on, I've done a lot of running, and I'm confident that I can come back fit," he added.
Anderson is recuperating from a shoulder blade stress fracture that forced him out of the first Test against the visiting Pakistan team in July.