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James Anderson (Image Credit: Twitter)
England pacer James Anderson has aged like a fine wine. At 39, the veteran still is wreaking havoc across the opposition camps. Anderson ripped apart the Indian top order with outstanding bowling in the first inning of the third Test to put England in command. The seamer displayed amazing skills with the ball and bowled an awe-inspiring spell of 8-5-6-3 as England skittled India for 78. Revealing the secret to his amazing fitness, Anderson said he focus on spending more time in the gym than bowling in the nets.
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"As I get older, I feel like I have to work that little bit harder in the gym. I feel like I bowl less in the nets, and try to save it for when it matters in the middle," Anderson said after the first day's play.
"The biggest test in Test cricket is mentally getting yourself up for bowling big spells and playing in big games. It's about keeping yourself switch on through games and switch off when you are not bowling -- that's something I've always had," he added.
Kohli won the toss and opted to bat on a wicket that looked flat. With the sun out, the batsmen would have fancied their chances of scoring big. However, the legend tricked the Indian batters with some very clever bowling. In the first over, Anderson set Rahul up with a couple of in-swingers before deceiving him with a full outswinger, drawing him into the drive. He got Indian skipper Virat Kohli in the same manner.
In the first Test at Lords, Anderson picked up a five-wicket haul in the first inning. However, he had to toil hard in the second inning as the Indian tail frustrated the hosts.
“Walking off the pitch during the second Test at Lord’s, pretty much everything hurt, but that gives so much satisfaction knowing that I have put a shift in for the team,” Anderson said
Anderson also sounded a tad concerned about his problematic shoulder. “It still hurts. You just find a way of putting up with it. it’s just part and parcel of the job,” he added.