The greatest batter James Anderson, an England pacer, has ever faced is Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary Indian batsman. When England played India in the longest format, their rivalry was something to behold. For all ardent cricket fans, it must have been an honor to witness both Anderson and Tendulkar at their best at the same time.
Anderson will play his 188th match in the England whites on Wednesday, the first Test match of the England-West Indies series at the esteemed Lord’s. This will be Anderson’s last red-ball international match, capping an incredible career spanning more than 20 years.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Anderson said that Tendulkar was the greatest hitter he had ever faced. Anderson was responding to some fan queries.
“The best batter I would have to say- Sachin Tendulkar,” Anderson said. His most fruitful opponents have been India, he has taken 149 wickets against them. In terms of dismissals, the English pacer got the better of Tendulkar a whopping nine times.
At a strike rate of 59.4, the Indian legend amassed 208 runs off of the 350 deliveries that Anderson faced.
When asked about his favorite career moment, the English bowler thought back to his 2014 Trent Bridge 81-run demolition of India. “Probably should pick a wicket or bowling performance but getting 81 with the bat, I think, I still can’t believe I have done,” Anderson joked.
The English bowler took four wickets in the opening Test of the 2014 series, and he scored the vital 81 runs to help England draw the match. The best player for India in that match was Murali Vijay.
No pacer has taken more than Anderson’s 700 Test wickets and just Tendulkar has played more games (200) at this level. But with the 2025/26 Ashes series in Australia on the horizon, England believe now is the right time to jettison Anderson.
