James Anderson 600 Test wickets: Coming out on top vs Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis – DNA India

James Anderson achieved history in the third and final Test against Pakistan in Southampton as he became the first pacer in history to take 600 wickets. Anderson achieved the feat when he dismissed Pakistan opposition skipper Azhar Ali to enter a club of greats. Only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble are ahead of him but as a fast bowler, he now stands alone on top. However, James Anderson is best remembered for his ability to come out on top in battles against the top opposition batsmen in his era. The list has some very prestigious names. The fact that Anderson has gotten the better of them consistently is an even bigger tribute to his greatness.

If one looks at the summary of batsmen dismissed, Anderson has gotten the better of Australia skipper Michael Clarke nine times in 26 Ashes Tests as well as David Warner the same number of times. It is no surprise that Australians dominate the list as England play frequently in the Ashes. However, there are two names which are there on the list for the most number of dismissals. Those names add credence to his magnificent career.

Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara and Jacques Kallis have a combined total of over 40,000 Test runs. These three batsmen dominated the Test scene from the start of the millennium upto their retirement in the middle of the second decade. However, there is one common factor linking all these three greats and that is their dismissals to Anderson.

Sachin Tendulkar has fallen to James Anderson nine times in his career. This is the most he has fallen to any bowler in Tests. Tendulkar was dismissed by Anderson in the 2006 Mumbai Test. In the 2007 series against England, Anderson dismissed Tendulkar at Lords and then twice at the Oval. In 2008, Tendulkar fell to Anderson in the Mohali Test while in 2011, Anderson was on top in Lords and Trent Bridge.

In 2012, Anderson continued his dominance when he dismissed Tendulkar in the Kolkata Test and in Nagpur. Even in the case of Kumar Sangakkara, he dismissed him three times in Sri Lanka and four times in England. For Jacques Kallis, Anderson has achieved more success in England than in South Africa. Anderson is level with Shane Warne for dismissing one of the finest ever in world cricket.

There are other great batsmen in the current era whom Anderson has dismissed. The right-arm pacer has gotten rid of Virat Kohli five times, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson have also fallen prey to him many times although Smith has a better average against Anderson. The ability of Anderson to dismiss the top player in the opposition truly makes him a stand-out.

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James Anderson 600 Test wickets: Coming out on top vs Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis - DNA India