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STUMP VISION NOVEMBER 13, 2026 | The Indian Eye 48

Anshul Kamboj’s rise:

From international debut struggles to

India’s match-winning bowling option

In T20Is, Pandya has 2,288 runs at a 145.92 strike rate and 114 wickets. In ODIs, he has 1,904 runs

alongside 91 wickets. Bowling above 135 kmph, his T20I bowling average improves to 22.60 in wins

OUR BUREAU
Auckland
nshul Kamboj’s international
career has had an uncomfort-
Aable beginning, but the young
Haryana fast bowler is beginning to
show why Indian cricket invested in
him. His disciplined performance
against New Zealand in the first One-
Day International (ODI) on Wednes-
day offered a glimpse of a bowler
capable of becoming a dependable
match-winner across conditions.
Kamboj returned figures of 2/22
from 10 overs as India bowled out
New Zealand for 185 at Eden Park
before completing a five-wicket vic-
tory. His contribution went beyond
the two wickets. He conceded only
two boundaries, delivered 46 dot
balls and consistently frustrated the
New Zealand batters with his line,
length and ability to extract move- Anshul Kamboj in action during the 3rd ODI match between India and West Indies at PCA Cricket Stadium, in New Chandigarh (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
ment from the surface.
The performance earned him concentrated on making the batters I am still doing the same thing. So, fast bowlers need adequate time to
the Player of the Match award and play difficult shots and wait for scor- doing bad in a game did not affect recover from travel and adjust to
brought renewed attention to a ca- ing opportunities. me much. I just got the motivation different conditions. “It is not easy
reer that had experienced some dif- Kamboj’s performance becomes to do better, to do better and to get to play a Test match after travelling.
ficult early moments. For Kamboj, more significant when viewed against better,” he said. For any bowler to get adjusted to the
the secret was not complicated. He his difficult introduction to interna- Former India all-rounder Ir- climate, recovery and then go from
relied on discipline rather than at- tional cricket. During his Test debut fan Pathan believes Kamboj has the there, it takes time. Anshul that time
tempting too much with the ball. against England last year, he man- qualities to become an important needed more time to play Test crick-
“The key was just consistent aged only one wicket in an 18-over member of India’s fast-bowling re- et,” he said.
length and line, not thinking about spell that cost 89 runs. His first ODI sources and could even enter the India’s bowling effort in Auck-
how the wicket is behaving, just the appearance against the West Indies selection conversation for the 2027 land was led by Arshdeep Singh,
basic plan, bowling on right lines was equally challenging, as he con- ICC Cricket World Cup. who claimed four wickets, while
and right areas,” he said during the ceded 82 runs in nine overs, with Pathan highlighted the young- Gurnoor Brar took three. Kamboj’s
post-match press conference. The captain Shai Hope scoring 42 off 31 ster’s ability to operate with the new contribution completed a clinical
25-year-old revealed that his wob- deliveries against him. ball, the old ball and in the death performance that set up the success-
ble-seam delivery was particularly ef- Such performances could have overs, describing his range of skills ful chase. Virat Kohli scored 74 off
fective in Auckland, allowing him to affected the confidence of a young as a major advantage. “What I like 51 balls, while captain Shubman Gill
maintain pressure on the opposition. bowler arriving in international crick- about him is that he can bowl with contributed 56 off 37 deliveries as In-
“I think the wobble seam ball was et with considerable expectations fol- the new ball and has some good dia reached the revised target of 143
working very well, so I was using that lowing his domestic and Indian Pre- death bowling skill as seen with CSK. in 32 overs.
again and again,” he said. mier League performances. Kamboj, He can come round the wicket and For Kamboj, the challenge now
His spell demonstrated the however, insists that he did not allow bowl the wide yorkers. He bowled is consistency. One impressive per-
importance of consistency in limit- the setbacks to define his career. with the old ball in this match against formance does not establish a career,
ed-overs cricket, particularly when “If someone loses a match, it New Zealand. He has that package,” but his ability to learn from setbacks,
conditions offer assistance to fast doesn’t decide whether it is good or Pathan said. adapt to conditions and execute dif-
bowlers. Rather than chasing wickets bad for his career. I was doing the He also defended Kamboj’s dif- ferent bowling plans offers encourag-
with extravagant deliveries, Kamboj same things from the beginning, and ficult Test debut, pointing out that ing signs.

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