He bowled 18 overs on Test debut.
The English are known to make brutal remarks on their opponents, and Nasser Hussain tops them all. But, not much has gone right for India during the five-match Test series, lagging 2-1. Riddled with injuries is one factor, while a new captain facing the mighty England is another. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has also been under scrutiny for losing eight out of 13 series in his reign. A premature debut of Anshul Kamboj is added to GG’s list of sins in the longest format of the game.
At the start of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, many were concerned about the workload management of Jasprit Bumrah, who is not set to play more than three Tests in the five-match series. This made Mohammed Siraj the next leader in line. His partners, however, have been changed in each of the four matches so far.
Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur played in the Leeds Test. The latter was replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Akash Deep took Bumrah’s spot in the Birmingham Test. At Lord’s, Bumrah came back while Krishna was dropped. In the ongoing Test, Akash is replaced by the debutant, Anshul Kamboj.
This also came after Akash and Arshdeep Singh were named unfit for selection. The 24-year-old was called as a replacement for the latter and straightaway given the new ball, alongside Bumrah.
This decision hasn’t sat well with Hussain, as he believes a good bowler in domestic cricket cannot immediately take the place of an international bowler.
“Instead, they call in Anshul Kamboj, an interesting selection. Someone who stepped up from not being in the squad to being in the team. That’s a couple of big steps up. Then, they gave him the new ball as well. Sure, he might be a new ball bowler in domestic cricket, but when you turn up in international cricket, others are ahead of you in the queue. As Stuart Broad found out when he began his career and Ryan Sidebottom and Jimmy Anderson took the new ball. You have to wait your turn. I was amazed that Mohammed Siraj didn’t take the new ball,” Hussain wrote in his column on The Daily Mail.
Barring the first innings of the third Test, Siraj had taken the new ball in all five other innings so far. He was also the top-performing bowler in the second Test, which India won.
On the other hand, Kamboj’s spell in his debut match reads 18-1-89-1, picking only the wicket of opener Ben Duckett. In the domestic circle, he has taken 79 wickets in 24 matches for Haryana, at an average of 22.88.
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India have already made a mess of their pace attack, despite talented players in the pool. Looking ahead to the final Test at The Oval, India will have to make amends if they want to return home with a 3-2 loss instead of 4-1. Weighing in, Hussain has raised eyebrows over two other players who could have been a better fit in place of Kamboj.
“Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh have been out on the field bowling before play each morning, so I don’t know whether one of them was fit enough to play,” he stated.
Akash owned the English batters in the Birmingham Test, taking four and six wickets across two innings. On the other hand, Arshdeep, the left-armer, awaits his Test cap.
If Bumrah sits out for the last Test, one of these bowlers should definitely be a part of the playing XI.
India began their second innings at Old Trafford trailing by over 300 runs. Given the overcast conditions, it’s unlikely India will get a chance to bowl again. Thus, the decision to include Anshul Kamboj lies with the team management and coach Gautam Gambhir.
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