NEW DELHI: The India-England Test series may have reached its fag end with only fifth and last match is left but the absence of Virat Kohli continues to remain the big talking point.
Kohli opted out of the series citing personal reasons. The former Indian captain, along with his wife Anushka Sharma, welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Akaay, last month.Legendary England pacer James Anderson rued having missed a chance to play against Kohli and said it’s a shame that he’s not been a part of the series.
Anderson and Kohli have engaged in a notable on-field rivalry, with the English pacer successfully dismissing the star batter on 10 occasions.
“Yeah, you always want to play against the best players. And it’s been a shame that he’s not been a part of the series. We have had some great battles over the years. But not just for me, I think as a team you want to play against the best in the world and he certainly is that,” Anderson said on JioCinema.
Anderson went on to mention that the absence of Kohli in the series might have pleased England fans, but the pacer expressed his anticipation for the battle.

“I guess English fans will be thankful he’s not playing because he’s such a quality player. But from our point of view you want to test yourself, you want to come up against the best and he’s been someone who I’ve found really challenging to bowl at over the years and it’s a shame he’s not been playing,” Anderson added.
India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead, following the victory in the fourth Test in Ranchi.
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return for the final Test while batter KL Rahul will miss out again after he was forced out of the previous three due to a quad injury he picked up in the opener.