“Zak is Better”: Here’s Why Ishant Sharma Believes Zaheer Khan Was Better Than James Anderson

English pacer James Anderson is aging like a fine wine. At the age of 40, he is still playing at the top level and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has even improved his game in the last three years. However, Indian pacer Ishant Sharma believes that former pacer Zaheer Khan was a better bowler than Anderson.

Khan was one of India’s finest bowlers and his Test career lasted around 14 years (2000-2014). He faced a lot of injuries throughout his career and could not even play 100 Tests despite playing for so long. Anderson has already played 180 Tests so far and has set a benchmark for the faster bowlers.

Sharma was talking to Ranveer Allahbadia on The Ranveer Show where he revealed how it is easy for the pacers to bowl in English conditions. He insisted that the Dukes ball swings a lot and the Pacers just have to stick to a particular length in order to get wickets. The situation is completely different in the subcontinent conditions.

Ishant Sharma Believes Zaheer Khan Was Better Than James Anderson

Sharma is just the second Indian pacer after former India captain Kapil Dev to play 100 Tests. He was asked about the longevity of Anderson during the podcast. He said that the situation would have been completely different if Anderson would have played in the Indian conditions.

“Jimmy Anderson’s bowling style and method is quite different. He plays in different conditions in England. Maybe if he played in India, he wouldn’t have found that kind of success.” Ishant Sharma said.

“Zak. He is better than Jimmy Anderson.”

Many sportspersons have said in the past as well that the grounds and conditions in England are favourable for the bowlers. Sharma considers Khan as his mentor and has learned a lot from him. It was Khan who taught Sharma about how a fast bowler should properly train which helped Sharma a lot.

Zaheer Khan and James Anderson Performance in India

Anderson has played 13 Tests in India where he has scalped 34 wickets at an average and strike rate of 29.32 and 66.29, respectively. His strike rate in England is 51.33 and the difference is quite visible in this aspect. Anderson has not scalped a single five-wicket haul in Indian conditions.

Khan played the majority of his matches in India only. In 38 matches, he has scalped 104 wickets at an average and strike rate of 35.88 and 70.28, respectively. Anderson may have played fewer matches in India but his stats are comparatively better than Khan even with the SG Ball.