Anderson was the key, says India skipper
INDIA captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni singled out seamer James Anderson as the difference between the sides after England clinched a landmark series win yesterday.
Anderson took 12 wickets over the four-match series – fewer than spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar – as the tourists fought back to beat the hosts 2-1. But Dhoni identified Anderson’s ability to reverse swing in later matches and keep the Indian batsmen under pressure as England’s most potent weapon.
“They are a very well balanced side, the two spinners they have are very good,” the losing skipper said of England. “Anderson bowled really well throughout the series on wickets where there wasn’t much help for the fast bowlers. That was really crucial.
“He tested the batsmen all the time and kept them guessing. I thought the major difference between the two sides was James Anderson.”
The Lancashire man, who took 4-81 in India’s first and only innings in the drawn final match in Nagpur, put his reverse swing success down to laborious honing.
“We’ve really practised in the nets and the games we’ve had leading up to the series,” he said. “We executed our plans really well in the game.”