Twitter
Advertisement

James Anderson remembers his 'favourite' Indian victim as he joins the 500-wicket club

After taking his 500th wicket in test cricket, James Anderson revealed his five favourite victims.

Latest News
article-main
James Anderson holds the ball up after claiming his 500th Test wicket.
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

England's James Anderson beacme only the six bowler to claim 500 wickets on Friday at Lords. He bowled West Indies' opener Kraigg Brathwaite to get to the milestone. 

After the achievement Anderson remembered his five favourite victims. The list include an Indian batsman too. 

Among the five are Aussies Brad Haddin and Ricky Ponting. West Indies' Denesh Ramdin and New Zealander Brendon McCullum are at three and four in the list.

Anderson's fifth favourite victim is India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni. 

In his 129 tests, Anderson, among Indian batsmen, has dismissed Tendulkar the most times – nine in 14 matches. He has sent back Dhoni to the pavilion on six occasions, in 19 games, and Gautam Gambhir too in six innings. He has got Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Kohli and Murali Vijay's wickets five times each.

Anderson's favourite wicket of Dhoni came at Kolkata's Eden Gardens in December 2012. He dismissed the Indian captain for a five-ball duck, caught by skipper Alastair Cook at slips.

Taling about that wicket, Anderson wrote in "The Telegraph" newspaper, "The wickets I took on that India tour (2012) were mainly through reverse swing. It is nice when you have worked hard at a skill over the years to then be rewarded for it in such a big series. This was a crucial Test. We had won in Mumbai and winning in Calcutta would give us a decisive lead in the series."

He continued, "In the second innings I got Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni in quick succession. Yuvraj was bowled with one that reversed in, kept a little low and was from round the wicket. But it is the Dhoni one that sticks in my mind. I bowled a couple of big inswingers to him first. They were a bit wide and he left them. He was waiting for another inswinger. I bowled an outswinger that did not do a huge amount but because of the two before that had come in, he played at it and edged it to first slip. To get key players out in a Test win is what you remember years later."

England won the Kolkata Test for a 2-1 lead in the four-match rubber.  With the fourth and final Test in Nagpur ending in a draw, the visitors won the Anthony De Mello trophy.

Anderson's favourite five Test wickets

1. Brad Haddin, 1st Test Vs Australia, Trent Bridge, July 2013

2. Ricky Ponting, 2nd Test Vs Australia, Adelaide, December 2010

3. Denesh Ramdin, 1st Test Vs West Indies, Antigua, April 2015

4. Brendon McCullum, 3rd Test Vs New Zealand, Trent Bridge, June 2008

5. MS Dhoni, 3rd Test Vs India, Kolkata, December 2012

The 35-year-old Anderson is only the sixth bowler in Test history to go past the 500-wicket landmark. The list is headed by Sri Lankan spin legend Muttaiah Muralitharan with 708 wickets.

Anderson is the third fast bowler in the illustrious list after Australia's Glenn McGrath (563) and Courtney Walsh (519) of West Indies.

Top wicket-takers in Test cricket 

1. Muttaiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 800 wickets (133 Tests)

2. Shane Warne (Australia) – 708 (145)

3. Anil Kumble (India) – 619 (132)

4. Glenn McGrath (Australia) – 563 (124)

5. Courtney Walsh (West Indies) – 519 (132)

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement