File photo of James Anderson.
England's veteran fast bowler turned out to be his side's x-factor in the opening India-England Test match in Chennai when on the last day the 39-year-old Englishman picked crucial wickets in the first spell to ensure the visitors hand India a crushing defeat.
However, the very next Test match, Anderson was rested as per the team's rotation policy while his replacement Stuart Broad struggled to find help from a dry surface at the same venue; subsequently leading to a massive win for India.
Anderson is likely to return for the third Test while English fans will be hoping he spews his magic again with the deadly reverse swinger. The 158 Test veteran, however, feels reverse swing might not come into play from Wednesday when the teams face off each other in pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad.
"It doesn't feel a lot different (to other brands of the pink ball). What we have found with all the pink balls, it seems like they have an extra bit of lacquer on them so it feels a bit more plastic, the coating, rather than on the red ball where you can feel the leather," ESPNcricinfo quoted Anderson as saying.
"It feels very similar to the Dukes in the hand. I think we will be unlikely to see a reverse. It depends on the pitch - if the pitch is really abrasive you might see a bit of reverse, but from how we've bowled it in the nets I would be very surprised if it does reverse," he further said. "It may well stay a bit harder for longer. We'll have to wait and see how it reacts after 40-50 overs," Anderson said.
