England's pace ace James Anderson believes India skipper is lying by saying that it doesn't matter if he is not among the runs in five-Test series
England's James Anderson (right) looks on while India captain Virat Kohli takes a run during the third day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam on November 19, 2016. Pic/AFP
Virat Kohli feels "it doesn't matter if he doesn't score runs as long as India wins" but England pace spearhead James Anderson says the Indian captain has to be lying if he states that his individual form won't be a factor in the upcoming five-Test series starting August 1.
"It doesn't matter if he gets runs or not? I think he is telling lies there," Anderson said in jest when asked about Kohli's statement during an exclusive chat with PTI.
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In 2014, Kohli had struggled to get going and managed only 134 runs in five Tests here, one of his worst Test performances. It is a blot on his stellar career to this day, even though he scored 655 runs in five Tests against England in the home series (2016-17) to lead his side to a 4-0 win. At the beginning of the ongoing tour, Kohli had laughed off queries about his form, stating that he intends to enjoy his time here rather than obsess over his individual form as long as the team does well. "For India to win here, of course it matters. Virat will be desperate to score runs for his team, as you would expect from the captain and one of the best players in the world," Anderson said.
Anderson, 35, pacer has an outstanding record against Kohli, having dismissed him four times in six innings during the 2014 tour. Overall, in Tests, Anderson has dismissed Kohli five times going back to 2012.
However, Anderson struggled during the 2016 tour of India with modest returns of four wickets in three Tests. "Today, cricketers learn from not only watching match footage but also from past experiences. So, I would expect a batsman of Kohli's quality to have learnt from that last series here (in 2014).
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