England v India: Hosts keen to give ‘better showing’ of themselves, says James Anderson

England are keen to give a “better showing” of themselves when their five-Test series against India begins on Wednesday, says James Anderson.

England v India: Hosts keen to give 'better showing' of themselves, says James Anderson

England beat India 4-1 on home soil in 2018, but were soundly beaten when they toured India earlier this year.

They also suffered a first home series defeat since 2014 when they were beaten by New Zealand in June.

“We know how good India are and getting five matches in six weeks, it’s really exciting,” pace bowler Anderson said.

“We are really keen to improve from that New Zealand series earlier in the summer.

“I don’t think we gave a great showing of ourselves. We can do much better than that.”

The first Test takes place at Trent Bridge from 11:00 BST.

‘England must get back to winning ways – and do so without the heartbeat of their team’
England v India – schedule

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Anderson, who turned 39 on Friday, is England’s leading Test wicket-taker but took just three wickets in the two Tests against New Zealand.

He said his preparation for the series was “not ideal,” having only been able to bowl 22 overs for Lancashire in the County Championship.

“With lots of other cricket going on that’s all been white-ball stuff, whether that’s county cricket or The Hundred, we’ve just been trying to find places to bowl,” he said.

“We have had a couple of days here where the intensity has just gone up a notch.

“It feels like everyone is really excited and hungry for the challenge of Test cricket coming back”

‘I don’t care who gets Kohli out – as long as someone does’

England v India: Hosts keen to give ‘better showing’ of themselves, says James Anderson

England v India: Hosts keen to give 'better showing' of themselves, says James Anderson
James Anderson and Virat Kohli
James Anderson (right) has dismissed Virat Kohli five times in Test cricket

Anderson has often been involved in a battle with India captain Virat Kohli, who averaged just 13.4 in his first tour of England in 2014.

However, when Kohli returned to lead India three years ago, he scored 593 runs and was not once dismissed by Anderson in five Tests.

Kohli is one of three India batters who are in the top 10 in the world rankings, along with opener Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

“We know how big a player he is to them, both as a batsman and as captain,” Anderson said.

“He has a huge influence on their team. To be honest, I don’t care if I get him out – as long as someone gets him out.”

Anderson added that he does not see this series or the winter Ashes in Australia as the end of his England career.

“I feel like I’m bowling as well as ever. I feel great physically,” he said.

“Something I have done really well throughout my career is focusing on what’s happening right now and right now, I am looking forward to the series.”

How are the teams shaping up?
It’s hard to tell.

England have not played a Test since losing to New Zealand in June, while India have had a solitary three-day tour game since they lost the World Test Championship final to the Kiwis.

First-class cricket has been limited for England’s players – all-rounder Sam Curran has not played a red-ball game since January and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler’s most recent outing came in February.

But arguably the biggest blow to England is the absence of all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is taking an “indefinite break” from cricket for mental health reasons.

Pace bowler Jofra Archer continues his recovery from elbow surgery and all-rounder Chris Woakes will play no part because of a bruised heel.

India are also not at full strength: Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan withdrew from the squad with injury last week, and Mayank Agarwal has been ruled out of the first Test with concussion.

England squad: Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton*, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood.

India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad. Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav.

Edet Esah

A content writer - blogger and sports analyst