‘We made good use of the conditions’

England pacer James Anderson has said the conditions on day two of the second Test against India here were perfect for bowling and his side would have bowled out any batting line-up in the world under similar situations.

Anderson took his 27th Test five-wicket haul, picking 5/20, as India were bowled out for 107 runs with rain intervening thrice during this innings.

He said his side has made good use of the conditions as an attack and India just drew the short straw based on very harsh conditions.

"I think that if we bowled like that today, with those conditions, we'd bowl most teams in the world out because I think we were that good. We hardly bowled any bad balls, didn't give them much to hit and when you build pressure like that all day, no matter who you are around the world, it is difficult. We exploited those conditions as well as anyone in the world. I don't think it's just the Indian batsmen that would have struggled," said Anderson.

"Honestly, I would have been so disappointed if I had messed up today because they were the ideal conditions to bowl in, I find it so much fun when like that. You don't often get conditions like that in England anymore, when the ball does that much through the air and off the pitch," he said after the second day's plat at the Lord's.

Anderson said that the conditions did favour England heavily, especially in helping them decide on playing an extra pacer in Chris Woakes while also opting to bowl after winning the toss.

"The rain on Thusday certainly made the decision for us at the toss and with a day missing as well, you need to bowl first. We didn't think it would do that much, it looked a good pitch, dry with a bit of green grass on top but not too much. The moisture that is in the ground just helps it move around. The four of us bowled really well," he said.

He said that he enjoyed his latest battle with Kohli, but disagreed that India were too dependent on him.

"I was thinking why can't he (Kohli) edge them like everyone else. I have really enjoyed the contest between him and myself. He is number one in the world for a reason. For me I love playing against the best players in the world, testing yourself and seeing whether you can get the better of them. It is a really thrilling thing to be a part of, and unfortunately I have not got the better of him yet, but I will continue to try my hardest throughout the rest of the series.

"I don't think you can think like that (dependency) because we've played against all of them before. There are some real quality players in there. I think Kohli is important because he is captain, a leader and he is their best player — number one in the world. But 90 per cent of their top seven have scored runs against us in the past so we can't look just as Kohli as a big wicket," Anderson said.