Captain Joe Root described James Anderson as England’s “greatest of all time” after a sensational 227 run win over India today.
Speaking after England moved 1-0 up in the four-Test series Captain Root said of Anderson: “He is the GOAT of English cricket. He seems to get better all the time.
Joe Root continued: “He [Anderson] finds ways of constantly challenging himself. He is a credit to English cricket and sets a great example to all the young players, batters and bowlers.
“They should see that these are the big moments you have to grasp if you want to win series like this against a side as good as India.
“When you are under pressure and need something to happen and you have Jimmy in your armoury, it is a very comfortable position to be in.
“When reverse swing came into it, the skill level and accuracy of Jimmy was always going to be very potent. To deliver a spell like that, it really changed the dynamic of the day.
“I can’t think of a better over in my time… It reminded me of Andrew Flintoff in 2005 and the impact of that over to Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer.
“We’ve come to expect it from him but we shouldn’t really. It’s unbelievable time and time again. Big players do special things.”
On the decision not to declare on the evening of day four, Captain Root said: “The most important thing was making sure India winning was out of the equation.
“With the ground as small as it was and the outfield as fast as it was, we didn’t want to give India any chance of winning.
“I didn’t want the bowlers to have the pressure of containing as well as taking wickets. I wanted them to concentrate on trying to find ways of taking wickets.
“We wanted to make sure there were only two possible results. Having played all the cricket, it would have been damaging if we had lost this game.
“I knew with the way the pitch had deteriorated over the last three days that coming into day five things were going to happen quicker.
“All we needed to do was be relentless with the areas we were bowling and the wicket would do the rest. The bowlers dealt well with that pressure.
“I am very proud of the way we played. We have set a benchmark and have something to work from.
“It’s certainly a very good victory but in the scheme of the series it is just the start. We know India are a very good team, especially in these conditions.
“They are a proud nation with some exceptional players who will be hurting and want to prove a point. They will come back hard at us. “
Day one of the second Test between India and England in Chennai starts on Saturday.
