Watch- James Anderson's father gives one of a kind reaction after the pacer claims 700 Test wickets

James Anderson‘s father, Michael, was in the stands as his son created history on Saturday (March 9) by becoming the first-ever fast-bowler to take 700 Test wickets. The England star achieved the feat in the first innings of the ongoing fifth Test against India at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.

James Anderson was two wickets short of 700 wickets when the Test began. On day two, he dismissed Shubman Gill to reach 699 wickets before sending back Kuldeep Yadav on day three to complete 700 wickets in the longest format of the game. It was a classic away swinger from James Anderson and Kuldeep edged it behind the stumps to the wicketkeeper.

As soon as James Anderson reached 700 wickets in Tests, the cameras turned towards the stands to show his proud father. Anderson senior looked like the happiest man on the planet as he celebrated his son’s historic feat, more than two decades after watching him pick his first Test wicket in 2003.

Watch:

pic.twitter.com/j6opTFmmXB

— Kirkit Expert (@expert42983) March 9, 2024

James Anderson’s illustrious career:

James Anderson made his Test debut in 2003 and announced his arrival in style by taking a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe at the iconic Lord’s. He dismissed former Zimbabwe opener Mark Vermuelen to claim his maiden Test wicket. At present, he has 700 wickets in 187 Tests. In 2020, he became the first pacer to take 600 Test wickets. Of the 700 wickets, he has taken 434 at home and 266 at away venues.

James Anderson’s milestone wickets:

Jacques Kallis, South Africa (2008) – 100th wicket
Peter Siddle, Australia (2010) – 200th wicket
Peter Fulton, New Zealand (2013) – 300th wicket
Martin Guptill, New Zealand (2015) – 400th wicket
Kraigg Braithwaite, West Indies (2017) – 500th wicket
Azhar Ali, Pakistan (2020) – 600th wicket
Kuldeep Yadav, India (2024)- 700th wicket

Matches: 187*
Wickets: 700
BBI: 7/42
Average: 26.52
Strike-rate: 56.96
5-wicket hauls: 32

Talking about the ongoing game, India are firmly in the driver’s seat. Batting first, England were bowled out for just 218 runs in their first innings with Kuldeep Yadav taking five wickets. In reply, India have piled up a big total of 477 runs to take a lead of 259.

Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored centuries while Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Sarfaraz Khan scored half-centuries. In reply, England were on 21 for 2 at the time of writing this report.