James Anderson's 3 best new-ball spells in India ft. Vizag 2024
James Anderson once again showed his class during the morning session of Day 3 in the second Test against India in Vizag. The 41-year-old went two steps closer to the 700 Test wickets landmark when he dismissed both Indian openers in back-to-back overs on February 4.
The early two wickets were crucial for Ben Stokes' side, as the Men in Blue already had a 143-run lead going into their second innings. Shubman Gill scored a brilliant century, which helped India set a target of 399 for the visitors. At the end of the day's play, England have two days to get 332 runs with nine wickets in hand.
Although the hosts are still favorites to win the Vizag Test and level the series 1-1, England have a chance. And one of the main reasons they are in with a shout is James Anderson, as he didn't allow the Indian openers to settle and dominate the proceedings.
On that note, let's look at James Anderson's three best new-ball spells in India ft. Vizag 2024.
#3 Nagpur 2012
The 2012 England Tour of India will be remembered for Alastair Cook's sublime performance throughout the series as the visitors emerged victorious in the four-match Test series. The last Test of the series was played in Nagpur in mid-December, and England were already winning the series 2-1.
The visitors took their time in the first innings, scoring 330 in 145.5 overs. Cook and Co. were well aware that a draw was enough to clinch the series. Virender Sehwag was in decent form during the series, scoring a century in the first Test in Ahmedabad. Sehwag's wicket held utmost importance as he could score runs quickly.
However, James Anderson produced a peach of a delivery in the very first over of the Indian innings, which bowled Sehwag. The home side had to stay cautious after the early wicket. Despite Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni's 198-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the match was never going to end in five days.
Anderson also dismissed Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, and Ravindra Jadeja, which earned him the Player of the Match award for his 4/81 figures. The match ended in a stalemate, and England completed a famous series win over India, something they haven't achieved since.
#2 Wankhede 2006
James Anderson was just 23 years old when he delivered one of his finest new-ball performances on Indian soil. England had scored 400 runs at Wankhede in the third Test, thanks to a century by Andrew Strauss. India were winning this series 1-0, which meant the visitors had to win in Mumbai to salvage a draw.
Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff began proceedings from either end, with the former dismissing Virender Sehwag in the seventh over. James Anderson was given the ball in the 11th over when it was still fairly new, and what he produced in the next 25 balls was pure magic.
His first over was a maiden to Wasim Jaffer, and his second over was a maiden to the new batter, Rahul Dravid (Jaffer had been dismissed by Hoggard in the 12th over). Anderson bowled another maiden to Sachin Tendulkar in the 17th over.
By the time he started his fifth over, he had bowled 23 dots out of a possible 24 and conceded just two runs. On the other side, Tendulkar had just scored one run off 20 balls. Something had to give, and finally, Anderson got his man as Tendulkar knicked one to Geraint Jones.
James Anderson also picked up the wickets of Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh, and Munaf Patel in the first innings, finishing with figures of 4/40. He added to his tally by dismissing Irfan Pathan and Sehwag in the second innings as the visitors won the Test and drew the series.
#1 Vizag 2024
James Anderson's best new-ball spell in India happens to be the one where he picked up both Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal's wickets in the ongoing second Test in Vizag. The hosts could have run away with the match, but the veteran pacer made early inroads to give his side a ray of hope.
As mentioned earlier, the Men in Blue had a lead of 143 when Rohit and Jaiswal came out to bat with just a few overs left to play on Day 2. They held their wickets intact and extended their side's lead to 171. However, James Anderson was on point at the start of proceedings on Day 3.
The right-arm fast-medium bowler disturbed Rohit's off stump in his first over of the day. In his next over, he got the better of Jaiswal, who was in the form of his life, having scored a double century in the first innings of the ongoing Test.
James Anderson could not add any more wickets to his tally, but he set the stage for England to restrict the Men in Blue to a total of 255, which could have been much less if not for Shubman Gill's century.
Overall, the ball is still in India's court as far as this match is concerned. The Ben Stokes-led team still need 332 runs to win this series. Although they have nine wickets in hand, the fact that two days are left to play could play on their minds and affect their customary aggressive approach.