‘Want to show him what it means to us to get him out’ – James Anderson on the ‘emotion' of getting Virat Kohli’s wicket

England fast bowler James Anderson has dismissed Virat Kohli seven times in Test cricket. In the ongoing Test series, the speedster has induced false strokes of the Indian skipper’s bat quite a few times. Kohli has got out fending outside the off-stump a number of instances. Australia’s Nathan Lyon has also accounted for Virat’s wicket seven times in Tests.

The 32-year-old Kohli hasn’t been in great form as he has only scored 124 runs at an average of 24.80 in the five-match series. In the meantime, Anderson put forth the importance of Virat’s wicket and talked about the emotions behind getting the batter out.

I don’t want him to get off to a flyer: James Anderson

“When I got Kohli out in the first innings in Leeds there was a lot of emotion. It was the same as at Trent Bridge. I guess there is that extra something with him because he is such a good player and their captain as well. You see how much it means to him when his team takes a wicket so I want to show him what it means to us to get him out,” Anderson was quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

Anderson stated how England skipper Joe Root asked him to make Kohli play since the Indian batter was leaving balls outside the off-stump. The 39-year-old Anderson had set his goals clear of not allowing Virat to settle into a rhythm.

“The ultimate aim is to bowl in a partnership and there was a good example of us working together in India’s second innings at Headingley. For the first 12 balls I bowled at Virat Kohli, he left ten. Joe Root was asking me to try and make him play a bit more. I was thinking, ‘I don’t want him to get off to a flyer’,” Anderson added.

Anderson is currently third in the list of leading wicket-takers in the five-match series after Ollie Robinson and Jasprit Bumrah. In three games, the speedster has picked up 13 wickets with one four-wicket haul and one five-wicket haul. The fourth and penultimate game of the series is set to start on September 2 at the Kennington Oval in London.