England legend James Anderson said "it's a shame" that he didn't get the opportunity to bowl at Virat Kohli during the five-match Test series against India.

Kohli withdrew from the entire series for the birth of his second child. On February 15, Kohli and his Bollywood actor wife, Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby boy. The couple already have a girl, Vamika.

Anderson, who has had memorable duels with Kohli in the past, said England fans would be thankful that Kohli was not a part of the series. "Yeah, you always want to play against the best players. And it's been a shame that he's not been a part of the series. We have had some great battles over the years. But not just for me, I think as a team you want to play against the best in the world and he certainly is that.

"I guess English fans will be thankful he's not playing because he's such a quality player. But from our point of view you want to test yourself, you want to come up against the best and he's been someone

who I've found really challenging to bowl at over the years and it's a shame he's not been playing," he said on Jio Cinema.

Anderson gave Kohli a torrid time during India's tour of England in 2014. Kohli didn't score a single half-century in five Tests and averaged a mere 13.50. The former India captain, however, made a strong comeback when India toured England the next time four years later. The prolific right-hander ended up as the top run-gettter with 593 runs in five Tests at an average of 59.30.

There have been some tough battles between Kohli and Anderson even in India and fans were expecting the same even this time around but it wasn't to be.