Birmingham: Ahead of the opening Test against India starting here Wednesday, seasoned England pacer Stuart Broad downplayed Monday the head-to-head battle between visiting captain Virat Kohli and veteran quick James Anderson.
“I really don’t agree with the theory that one particular bowler can target a world-class batsman,” Broad was quoted as saying by the ICC website. “You have to have that pressure and theatre at both ends against that sort of quality – that’s when you get mistakes.
It’s unrealistic to think your seam bowlers will play five Tests in six weeks. It will depend on tosses, pitches and workloads
Stuart Broad
“If he’s able to really watch Jimmy (Anderson) and play carefully but score off me, you’re taking away any advantage as a team. As a bowling unit, we will just have to make it as hard for all of their batsmen to score early runs, but particularly a key player like Virat. We have to try and create pressure that way,” he added.
The 32-year-old Broad, who is returning to action after recovering from an ankle injury, felt that he is back to full fitness ahead of the gruelling five-Test rubber against top-ranked India.