England’s bowling maestro James Anderson recently reached a remarkable landmark in his lovely career, becoming the first fast bowler to claim 700 Test wickets. James Anderson reached the milestone during England’s fifth and final Test match against India, joining the ranks of legends Muttiah Muralidharan and Shane Warne. He has become the only third bowler to claim to this record.

But, things didn’t fall in England’s favour, losing the game by an innings and 64 runs. India dominated England from all sides, leaving no chance for them to make their way into the game. Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav was his 700th dismissal, having got into the fifth Test with 698 wickets. Speaking on his milestone, Anderson wasn’t quite ecstatic. 

“I didn’t really celebrate, I’ll be honest. There’s nothing to celebrate. Obviously, It was a nice moment and nice to do it at a picturesque ground. My dad was here so we had a drink, which was nice. He was more excited than I was,” Anderson said on the BBC Tailenders podcast

"Maybe I would've felt more excited if we'd have won the Test or the series. It's been a long series, and I don't know how I feel,” he said.

Being the only fast bowler to have reached this mammoth milestone, Anderson is least concerned about what people say as milestones don’t matter to him. 

“That’s irrelevant to me. I don't get anything out of that. I don't get anything out of what other people say. That's not why I play cricket. I don't play cricket to the milestones, I guess. I want to win games. I love playing for a team and that's when I get the biggest buzz,” said Anderson.

"That's why I'm probably a little bit flat now, because we've lost 4-1 in this series. But I really enjoyed this tour. I've been on tours to India before where little cracks start appearing in the team and that's not happened this time.”

"We've stuck together really well, we really enjoy being together as a group and there is more to come from this team. Obviously we'll come in for some criticism because we did have moments where we didn't play particularly well but India are really good."

Anderson is eagerly excited for the summer, with West Indies scheduled to tour England for the three-match Test series. Leading up to the summer, Anderson expressed enormous optimism about his fitness. 

"I'm really excited for the summer. I want to make sure I'm playing well and earn my place in the team,” stated Anderson.

"I'm not getting any worse. I’m definitely in the best shape I've ever been in. I like where my game is at, and I still have that enjoyment of turning up every day and trying to get better in the nets. My place in the team is not a given so I've got to work hard to prove I'm worth a place in the summer,” said Anderson.