'Better Than Jimmy Anderson,' Ishant Sharma On India's Unsung Hero

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James Anderson’s illustrious Test career makes him one of the true titans of the sport. For over two decades, the Englishman has been leaving the greatest of batsmen bewildered with his exceptional skills and ability to manipulate the swing and seam of the ball.

The seasoned campaigner already stands the tallest in Test cricket’s fast bowling pantheon, with his greatness only rivalled by his own teammate Stuart Broad.

However, according to Ishant Sharma, Anderson’s Test astute is slightly inferior to that of former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan.


Ishant compares Zaheer Khan with Anderson

Ishant Sharma, who played the last of his 105 Tests for India back in November 2021, recently made an appearance on The Ranveer Allahbadia show on YouTube. During a lengthy interaction, the speed veteran claimed that his former Indian teammate Zaheer Khan was a better fast bowler than Test cricket’s all-time great James Anderson.

Sharma also justified his claim by comparing the careers of the two, and pointed out that Khan mostly bowled on spinner-friendly Indian pitches, while the Englishman continues to thrive on surfaces more conducive for seamers. The Indian fast bowler said:

"Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. Zak (Zaheer Khan). He was better than Jimmy Anderson."

Both Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan are joint-second in terms of most successful Indian fast bowlers in Tests. The two speedsters have collected 311 wickets each in the format, and they are only trailing former captain Kapil Dev’s 434 scalps in an elite list.

Meanwhile, Anderson is approaching an unscaled Test height of 700 wickets. The 40-year-old has already bagged 686 wickets to his name, and will become the first fast bowler in the format’s history to scale the landmark figure. One can expect him to reach the number during the ongoing 2023 Ashes series in England.