India pacer Ishant Sharma feels that Zaheer Khan was a better bowler than James Anderson. He reasoned it by point out that the England pacer plays in a different conditions to that in India. While an average ODI career sees Anderson claiming 269 wickets across 194 games, an illustrious Test career has Anderson scalping 686 wickets from 180 games. He has registered 32 five-wicket hauls in the format with his best bowling figures in a game being 11/71. Ishant feels that Anderson would not have been so successful, had he played majority of his games in Indian conditions.

Zaheer expressed his opinions in an interview to Ranveer Allahbadia on latter’s YouTube channel.

“Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions. He plays in England. May be if he played in India…,” said Ishant before Ranveer Allahbadia smiled and said, “…maybe he (Anderson) wouldn’t have found that kind of success.”

In reply, Ishant said: “Zak is better than Jimmy Anderson.”

Zaheer Khan played 200 ODIs for India and picked 282 wickets. In the longest format, he represented India in 92 matches and claimed 311 wickets. He ended his Test career with 11 five-wicket hauls.

While Zaheer has already called time on his international cricket career, Anderson is currently a part of England’s Test team. The right-arm pacer was in the playig XI for the first Ashes 2023 Test against Australia.

Anderson had a poor outing in the first match as he could pick only one wicket and conceded 109 runs.