Legendary England fast bowler James Anderson has faced some of the best batters in cricket history, but few match the stature of India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

Speaking on a recent podcast, Anderson opened up about his personal battles with the two Indian greats, offering a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into how different they were, not just in how they batted, but in how they carried themselves on the field.

Anderson Says Kohli Brought a Fierce Challenge, Unlike Calm Sachin

Anderson played 39 Tests against India during his long career and dismissed Tendulkar nine times and Kohli seven times. Reflecting on Kohli’s early struggles in England, he said, “I had some success early against Kohli, the first time he came to England in 2014. I really exploited his weakness of outside off-stump.”

He added that Kohli returned a completely different player in the next series. “He had obviously gone back and worked on that – he was totally a different player… made it very difficult for not just me but for bowlers in general.”

“With Kohli, There Was a Shift in Dominance”

Anderson spoke about how Kohli evolved over time, something he didn’t experience with Tendulkar. “Against Sachin, I didn’t feel like there was that sort of shift in dominance. With Kohli, there was definitely a shift. Found him a very difficult player to bowl at because he had that steely mindset, wanting to get into a battle.”

“I didn’t feel any sort of shift in dominance while facing Sachin but there was definitely a shift with Kohli “

– James Anderson pic.twitter.com/eBhJa5h0TH

— Sohel. (@SohelVkf) June 16, 2025

Kohli’s poor 2014 tour saw him score only 134 runs across five Tests at an average of 13.50. But in 2018, he roared back with 593 runs at an average of 59.30. Notably, Anderson didn’t dismiss him even once in that series.

Talking about Kohli’s on-field attitude, Anderson said, “Kohli was a slightly different character than Sachin… more expressive with his emotions. Wore them on his sleeves.” He added, “I tried… to think of him as a batter and not too much about who it was. It was difficult at times; we had many battles on the field.”

When it came to Tendulkar, Anderson chose to avoid verbal confrontations. “I definitely had more verbal battles with Virat than with Sachin. With Sachin I tried not to… He had this sort of God-like presence.”

Anderson also noted how Kohli eventually gained that same aura. “As Virat’s career went on, that became more and more like that for him.”