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R Ashwin adds Anshul Kamboj to same category as Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah; backs pacer to feature in Manchester Test
Anshul Kamboj was flown to Manchester to add more depth to the depleted Indian pace attack.
Anshul Kamboj's arrival makes the pacer a surprise option for the Indian playing XI in the upcoming fourth Test, in Manchester. Day 1 is set to begin on Wednesday at Old trafford and Arshdeep Singh has already been ruled out of the fourth Test and Akash Deep is also struggling.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been ruled out and due to the situation, Kamboj was flown to Manchester to add more depth to the depleted Indian pace attack.
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Kamboj returned to India last month after India A's tour to the UK. He suffered a sheen injury and Harshit Rana stayed back as cover for Akash Deep.
R Ashwin backs Anshul Kamboj
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin backed his CSK teammate to play at Old Trafford. He said, “This England team, man to man, will not match India skills-wise. Looking at how Siraj and Bumrah bowled, if you bring Anshul Kamboj in, I’m telling you that is a serious bowling attack. People will tell he hasn’t played but he was there on the A tour. He’s been in cracking form in first-class cricket. He is used to bowling long spells and you need that in England. He will be a really good foil for Siraj and Bumrah. Prasidh is also an option but I would rather go with Anshul.”
“An enjoyable and appreciable thing about Anshul Kamboj is that he understands the plan. Many bowlers with 30-40 Tests and beyond also do not understand plans. They will just say I will express myself, enjoy my game, I am here to let loose and all. One is understanding a plan, the other is to execute your plan that way. Many bowlers do not have this strength.
“But Anshul understands plans and also knows how to execute in the middle. It’s not a trait many fast bowlers possess. Zaheer Khan was one of them. He was amazing. In recent times, Jassi (Bumrah) is one player who understands the plans and executes them to perfection. Anshul belongs to that variety. I’m not comparing skills because skills are a very different thing,” he added.
Kamboj has been in good form in domestic cricket, and since the 2024-25 season, he has taken 55 wickets in only 11 games, which also includes a 10-wicket haul in a Ranji Trophy match vs Kerala.
