England bowler James Anderson said he is “not getting any worse” but his place in the team “is not a given”.
England won't play their next Test until July 10, when a trifecta against the West Indies begins, followed by a trifecta against Sri Lanka.
“I'm really looking forward to summer,” Anderson said. Tailender Podcast.
“I want to play well and earn my place on the team.''
Anderson, who has taken 10 wickets in four Tests at an average of 33.5, said he failed to make an impact in the home Ashes against Australia last summer but bowled “very well” in India.
“I'm not getting any worse,” he added. “I’m definitely in the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“I like the state of my game and I still enjoy going out every day and trying to get better in net.
“My position in the team is not taken for granted, so I will have to work hard in the summer to prove that I am worthy of it.”
Despite the heavy defeat to India, Anderson said England were “in a good place” under captain Ben Stokes and manager Brendon McCullum.
“This tour was really fun,” he added. “We have traveled to India before, where small rifts started to appear in the team, but that didn't happen this time.
“We gel really well, we really enjoy being together as a group, and we’re going to get a lot more out of this team.
“Of course we will take some criticism because there were moments where we didn't play particularly well, but India are really good.”
'There's nothing to celebrate' about reaching 700 years old
Anderson, who took his first wicket on his Test debut in 2003, reached 700 wickets after finishing behind Kuldeep Yadav in the first session of the third day at Dharamsala in the foothills of the Himalayas.
But the bowler said there was “nothing to celebrate” about the landmark as he “doesn't play cricket for personal milestones”.
“It was a great moment and I'm glad it happened on such a picturesque ground,” he added.
“My dad was here, so I had a drink with him, which was nice. He was more excited than I was.
“Maybe I would have been more excited if I had won a Test or a series.”
Given the demands placed on cricketers by the three formats and the overall reduction in the number of Tests being played, it is unlikely that another pace bowler will break Anderson's record.
But Anderson said that was “irrelevant” to him because he gets the “biggest excitement” from playing with his team and winning games.
He added that just before Kuldeep was dismissed, he had predicted that he would become the 700th wicket by an England bowler.
Anderson said: “Kuldeep led by one to third man with a single, got to the non-striker's end and as I was going back to the mark, he said, 'I'll be your 700th wicket.'
“He wasn't trying to leave, he just said he had feelings. We both laughed when we saw it.”
Anderson had bowled Shubman Gill for 110 on the second day to move to 699 wickets after exchanging words with the Indian batsman.
“I said to him, 'Are there any runs outside India?' And he said, 'It's time to retire,'” Anderson added.
“Then two pitches later, I put him out.”
