"Zak is better than Jimmy Anderson" - Ishant Sharma makes big statement on England bowling legend

Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has opined that he considers Zaheer Khan as a better fast bowler than England legend James Anderson due to the left-armer’s versatility. Without going into details, Ishant hinted that Anderson might not have been as successful in Test cricket had he been from India.

Anderson, who will turn 41 in July, is third on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in Test cricket. He has 686 scalps to his name from 180 Tests at an average of 26.11. Only spin legends Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) are above the seasoned England pacer.

On the other hand, Zaheer finished his Test career with 311 scalps in 92 matches at an average of 32.94. However, during a discussion on Ranveer Allahbadia’s YouTube show, Ishant rated the former India pacer above Anderson. He commented:

“Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. May be if he played in India… Zak is better than Jimmy Anderson.”

For the record, Anderson has played 13 Tests in India, claiming 34 wickets at an average of 29.32 . Significantly, the England pacer does not have a single five-wicket haul in India. As for Zaheer, he played eight Tests in England, picking up 31 wickets at an average of 27.96 with one five-fer.

Speaking about Zaheer, Ishant also cleared the air about the controversy during the Wellington Test in 2014 when many accused him of abusing the senior pacer. The incident later turned into a viral meme. The 34-year-old clarified that he was having a go at himself and could not even think of abusing Zaheer. He stated:

“I had told that to myself. To this day, people don’t understand to whom I said that. I have never abused anyone who has dropped a catch. How can say that to Zak? He is literally like guru for me. I have never even thought about saying anything like that.

“It was just frustration because Brendon McCullum was scoring a lot of runs. There were only three fast bowlers - me, Zak and [Mohammed] Shami. After almost every four overs, we had to bowl again and the wicket was very flat. I was just removing the frustration on myself."

The high-scoring Wellington Test ended in a draw as McCullum scored a fantastic 302 in the second innings.

---

“Virat Kohli brought fitness culture into the Indian team” - Ishant Sharma

During the discussion on fast bowlers, Ishant also hailed former captain Virat Kohli for bringing fitness culture into the Indian team during his stint. He stated:

“When Virat Kohli became the captain, he brought fitness culture into the Indian team; it became compulsory to everyone. Now, if you see Shami & other fast bowlers, you can see the difference. That was huge under Kohli.”

Ishant has so far featured in 108 Tests, 80 ODIs and 14 T20Is. He hasn’t played a game for India since the Kanpur Test in November 2021.