2012 Series Victory in India is on Par with Ashes Victory: James Anderson

England is a strong team across all 3 formats of the game. For any English cricketer, the Ashes victory remains at the pinnacle of his wishlist. In the recent years, England has won quite a few Ashes series. It has to do with the improvement of English cricketers and the level going down in the case of Aussies. Of However James Anderson who is the leading wicket-taker of England in Test cricket feels that England’s 2-1 series victory in India back in 2012 is on par with an Ashes victory.

“We have played against South Africa when they were number one in the world and that was a good test, and India is exactly the same for me,” Anderson said.

“2012 was one of the best series I have ever played in India. As a seam bowler, you go to India and everyone says that the spinners will take wickets, so you want to prove to people that you can succeed in those conditions.

“That was a really proud series of my career. You always want to play against the best and do well against the best. That always inspires me to try and push myself,” he added. Anderson played an instrumental role in helping England win the Test series in India by a 2-1 margin. It was an exceptional performance by the England batters and the bowlers.

He bagged 12 wickets in the series. Meanwhile, he is the leading wicket-taker for England with 540 wickets in 138 Tests. He had n doubt that the series victory in India is in par with many of his and the team’s performance in the Ashes.

Also Read: ENG Vs IND, 2018: Michael Atherton Not in Favour to Introduce Adil Rashid in Tests

 Ashes is the pinnacle for any English cricketer

“I think there has always been a good healthy rivalry between India and England. Every series I have played in, whether it was one-day or Test cricket, it has always been really competitive and a really high standard of cricket,” he said.

“For me, for an Englishman, the Ashes is the pinnacle. If you ask the Australians, they will probably say the same (laughs). It is the biggest series in Test cricket, the one that you look forward to the most and the one that you want to win at any cost,” he added.

England will be under a bit of pressure ahead of the Test series. India is a prepared unit now and has performed quite brilliantly in the longest format of the game. However, they will be tested in moving conditions. However, one thing which will keep India in good stead is the exposure of some of their players to county leagues. England has a sterner challenge on their hands. India has a strong team and will definitely look to win another series in England.

“This summer we have felt that we have a bigger responsibility to the team in putting in good performances. We are the senior players. I have a good partnership with Stuart Broad and we need to show that in our responsibilities because we are the senior players,” he asserted.

“So that’s exactly how we will prepare for this series. We want to go into this series in as good a form as possible and be as fit as possible because we know that if we play well, we have a good chance of winning.”

Also Read: Faf Du Plessis Admits Facing Spinners in the Subcontinent is Perennial Issue