Watch: ECB honours James Anderson with special painting for his 700th wicket feat, pacer shares his hilarious reaction

Test cricket was at its pinnacle when Team India stopped the bazball bandwagon with sheer dominance over England. Though spinners were at the centre stage as they chipped with most of the wickets while the pace bowlers were left toiling hard. While the rest of the Tests of the five-match series had the spinners playing a major role for both teams, the final Test etched its name in history for various reasons.

One of the key reasons were Ravichandran Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow playing their 100th Test for their respective nations. But very few had the idea that the Dharamshala Test was also the 400th international appearance for the legendary England paceman, James Anderson. While the conditions perfectly suited the English players, it was tipped that Anderson who is known for his swing mastery can cause a lot of trouble for the Indian batters. Though it was not meant to be, but the fact that Anderson played at the age of 41 stands as testimony of his phenomenal contribution to the game of cricket.

Hence, when the 'Burnley Express' took his 700th wicket to script history. As a result, Anderson became only the third bowler after spin wizard late Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan to reach the landmark. But what was more incredible is the fact that he is the only pacer in the elite list.

In the same vein, after the conclusion of the India versus England Test series, the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) chairman, Richard Thomson, decided to acknowledge his feat and the 21-year-long service to English cricket by gifting him a beautiful painting. Notably, the painting was made during the Test match in Dharamshala. Hence, recently England Cricket took to their social media to share a heartwarming video of the special moment.

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"Most records in sport are there to be broken, this is one I don't think will ever be broken,” England Cricket tweeted on their 'X' handle sharing the views of the ECB chair Thomson on Anderson's feat.

I'd have known this presentation was happening I'd have washed my hair and brushed my teeth: Anderson

Interestingly, James Anderson revealed that the impromptu decision of the ECB to honour him for his incredible achievement caught him off guard. Moreover, on a hilarious note the pacer said that had he known that he would be honoured by the English board, he would have surely brushed his teeth and washed his teeth before attending the special meeting called for appreciating him.

"I'd have known this presentation was happening I'd have washed my hair and brushed my teeth. Thanks England Cricket for this lovely gift and for capturing my sheer delight at reaching this milestone. #smilingontheinside," Anderson said through a story post on his Instagram handle.

Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar in awe of James Anderson's 'fictional' 700 scalps in Tests