India vs England Edgbaston Test: Fit-again Anderson can’t wait to rejoin ‘fearless’ group

On
Friday
(July
1)
at
the
Edgbaston
in
Birmingham,
England
and
India
will
play
the
fifth
and
final
Test
that
was
postponed
last
year
due
to
the
COVID
outbreak
in
the
visiting
camp.
India
currently
lead
the
series
2-1.

While
the
new
English
red
ball
skipper
Ben
Stokes
has
said
they
will
take
a
similar
aggressive
approach
to
the
one
against
New
Zealand
when
they
face
India,
pacer
Anderson
has
been
stunned
by
how
the
team
have
chased
down
targets
in
the
fourth
innings,
scoring
at
a
brisk
pace
in
the
bygone
series.

Root
having
‘such
fun’
as
Stokes
salutes
‘pretty
special
start’

“I
have
never
been
in
a
dressing
room
before
when
we
have
chased
almost
300
on
a
pitch
that
is
turning
and
everyone
being
so
calm,
just
believing
we
were
going
to
chase
them
down,”
Anderson
was
quoted
as
saying
in
a
report
on
AFP.

“That
for
me,
after
20
years
of
playing
international
cricket,
was
something
I
had
never
seen
before…As
a
bowler,
I
think
it’s
horrible!
I
don’t
want
to
think
of
someone
coming
at
me
like
that.
But
the
confidence
our
batters
have
got
at
the
moment…they’re
just
fearless.”

“I
hate
missing
games.
After
that
game
at
Headingley,
the
feeling
around
the
group
is
so
good
that
you
want
to
be
around
it
as
much
as
possible.
I
certainly
feel
I’ve
got
more
of
a
smile
on
my
face
in
the
field
than
I
normally
do.
It’s
so
much
fun
playing
with
this
group
in
the
style
we
have
been.”

The
39-year-old,
who
missed
the
third
and
final
Test
against
New
Zealand
last
week
due
to
an
injury,
hopes
to
get
back
in
the
team
for
the
fifth
and
final
Test
against
India
as
he
was
disappointed
not
to
around
the
‘fun
group’.

“It
was
disappointing
to
miss
the
last
game,
seeing
the
guys
out
on
the
field
having
a
good
time
and
playing
well.
I’ll
keep
my
fingers
crossed
that
I
can
get
back
in
this
week,”
Anderson
added.

India
tour
of
England
Test
series
2021-22:
Result,
top
performers
from
the
four
matches

Anderson,
who
is
one
of
just
four
survivors
alongside
Joe
Root,
Ollie
Pope
and
Jonny
Bairstow
in
England’s
squad
from
the
team
that
lost
the
fourth
Test
against
India
at
Oval
last
year,
also
had
an
update
on
his
fitness
ahead
of
the
Edgbaston
Test.

“The
ankle
feels
pretty
good
and
I’ve
got
a
couple
of
days
of
practice
to
get
through.
If
I
can
do
that,
hopefully
I’m
good
for
Friday.
We’ll
see
what
happens,”
he
said.