'Virat Kohli stood there motionless but had to go' - David Lloyd lauds 'old warhorse' Anderson for dismissing 'Gladiator' Kohli

The first round of battle between veteran pacer James Anderson and Indian modern-day legend Virat Kohli was won by the former as he dismissed the latter for a golden duck. It was indeed the story of the Tent Bridge Test match which ended in a draw on the fifth day with rain playing spoilsport.

Cricketer-turned-expert David Lloyd was impressed with the way Anderson bowled that delivery to Kohli, who just couldn’t find any answers to tackle the ball. It was an absolute peach of the ball by the Swing King that pitched in the corridor of uncertainty and did enough to induce an edge from the batter. The rivalry between two legendary cricketers was one of the talking points of the five-match Test series due to their history.

However, fans and experts could not see the contest between Anderson and Kohli at least in the first Test match at Trent Bridge due to the former outclassing the latter in his very first delivery. Lloyd enjoyed the battle between the two players and dubbed it as ‘warhorse’ Anderson getting the wood over ‘gladiator’ Kohli.

“What a moment of theatre when Jimmy Anderson got Virat Kohli first ball. The India captain’s entrance was like a gladiator’s but the old warhorse produced the ball of the game. The elation and emotion of Anderson contrasted with the despair of Kohli, who stood there motionless but had to go. A great piece of Test cricket and one not to miss,” Lloyd wrote in The Daily Mail.

Virat Kohli speaks about the template ahead of the remainder of the Test matches

Anderson managed to get the better of Kohli in England for the first time since 2014. The Indian skipper though has four matches yet to settle scores

Kohli went in with just the sole spinner in Ravindra Jadeja and opted to go with four pacers in the seam and swing conditions in Trent Bridge. Although Jadeja didn’t get much to play in the first Test match, things could be different in the following four Tests. But Kohli has indicated he will stick with a 4-1 pace-spin combination for the time being.