Team India need to find a solution to the threat possessed by James Anderson in the upcoming five-match Test series. He is one of the best fast bowlers the game has ever seen. Moreover, if the conditions are slightly helpful, he tends to wreak havoc in the opposition batting line-up. But the former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan reckons that Anderson will need help from the pitches and he won’t be as effective if it continues to be a hot summer in England.

Anderson is also returning from a shoulder injury and there is a doubt if he will be able to play all the five Tests of the series. The mind games have begun ahead of the grueling tour and Anderson had taken a cheeky dig at the Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Zaheer seems to have hit back at him now with his comments indirectly saying that the bowler is not at his best nowadays.

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England is experiencing its hottest summer in past 50 years and if it continues in the same way, Team India is most likely to benefit as their spinners will come into the action with dry pitches. Zaheer Khan, in an interview to Mid-Day, also pointed out the same and reckoned that if the conditions are not helpful for seam bowlers, then James Anderson will struggle and his place in the team will also be questioned mid-way through the series.

Zaheer said, “I think Anderson is also at a stage in his career where he will need help from the pitches. So, if the wickets which are offered are helpful, you will see him continue to talk. But if they are not helpful for seaming conditions, then you might see England debating whether he should play or not after two Tests.”

The first Test is scheduled to start from August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham as India’s tour is scheduled to end on September 11.