James Anderson breaks Lala Amarnath's 72-year-old record in IND vs ENG 2nd Test
James Anderson created a new record in Test cricket by taking the field in the ongoing match against India in Vizag on Friday, February 2. The veteran England player became the oldest pacer to play a Test on Indian soil.
Anderson is 41 years and 187 days old as of today. Only one pacer aged more than 40 had played a Test on Indian soil before him. Former Indian player Lala Amarnath accomplished the feat against Pakistan back in 1952.
Amarnath was 41 years and 92 days old when he played that Test match against Pakistan. He held the record for 72 years, but now in 2024, Anderson has become the oldest pacer to play a Test in India.
During the telecast of the first day's play in Vizag, the broadcasters displayed a graphic showing the top five oldest pacers to play a Test in India. A popular social media user shared a screenshot of the same on his profile. You can see the list here:
Apart from James Anderson and Lala Amarnath, the list also featured Ray Lindwall (38 years, 112 days), Shute Banerjee (37 years, 124 days) and Ghulam Guard (34 years, 20 days). Interestingly, all the previous pacers on this list appeared in matches before the year 1961.
James Anderson has troubled 3 generations of Indian cricket
Anderson owns the record for the most Test wickets by a visiting bowler on Indian soil. He has also troubled three different generations of Indian cricketers.
Back when Sachin Tendulkar was an active cricketer, Anderson dismissed him nine times. Next, he built a rivalry with Virat Kohli and accounted for his wicket on seven occasions. Now, he is troubling the Prince of Indian cricket, Shubman Gill, with his pace and accuracy.
Gill lost his wicket caught behind against Anderson earlier today. It was the fifth time in his career that the young Indian batter was dismissed by the veteran English pacer.