ANDERSON CLOSES ON 2ND TEST COMEBACK

JAMES ANDERSON believes the second Test is a realistic target for him to make his return from a shoulder injury.

Anderson (above) will be hard at work in the nets during the first Test after arriving in Rajkot in time to see his partner in wicket-taking excellence, Stuart Broad, receive his 100th cap.

And he revealed he sent down 30 overs in Loughborough to prove his fitness for the tour, and now must just take the final steps to have a chance of playing in Visakhapatnam.

“I got a good amount done last week,” he said. “And hopefully I can keep that going this week and get some miles into my legs to make sure I’m as fit as I can be and maybe be fit for the second Test.

“That’s still over a week away so it’s hard to say right now. It all depends how the week goes, but I’m sure in the next two or three days we’ll have an idea of whether or not that’s a possibility. I bowled 30 overs in the week at Loughborough.

“Now it’s just about carrying that on and maybe upping the intensity a little. I think at the tender age of 34 I’ve enough experience to get into match mode quite quickly. Obviously it’s not always easy without having any games under my belt, but I think I’m able to do that.”

Anderson and Broad have 680 wickets between them in Tests they have played in together and both now have a century of appearances.

Anderson added: “It’s an amazing achievement, he’s been a fantastic bowler for years and I’ve been fortunate enough to play in the majority of his Tests as well.

“We’ve developed a great friendship on and off the field, we talk a lot about the game and know each other’s games.”