England legend James Anderson praised Virat Kohli, calling him one of the greatest players to have ever graced the sport. Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket, brought an end to a stellar career where he accumulated 9,230 runs from 123 Tests, including 30 centuries. He announced his retirement shortly after captain Rohit Sharma decided to retire from the Test format as well. Anderson pointed out that the retirement of Kohli and Sharma has left significant gaps, but he also highlighted that India have enough talent to replace the two players.
“Great players. India will have a new captain because Sharma has retired. Kohli is one of the greatest Test batters of all time. Those are big shoes to fill, but the talent in their squad is immense. Just look at the IPL. Players who are coming to Test cricket from the IPL now bring an aggressive, fearless, and attacking mindset,” Anderson shared on TalkSport.
Anderson and Kohli had a longstanding rivalry on the field. Anderson presented a tough challenge to Kohli during the 2014 Test series in England. Kohli responded with a remarkable 593 runs in the 2018 series.
Despite Kohli and Rohit announcing their retirement ahead of the five-match Test series against England, Anderson urged the hosts not to underestimate India. “Looking back at my career, I’ve seen how easy it is to get distracted and start focusing on the Ashes too early, forgetting the challenge right in front of you. India are going to be a tough opponent, even when they are away from home. They’re a strong team,” he added.
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