Who is Anshul Kamboj - Haryana's 'AK 47' earns maiden India cap at Manchester

Who is Anshul Kamboj - Haryana's 'AK 47' earns maiden India cap at Manchester (BCCI Photo)

Of all the Indian players praying for the rain in Manchester to stop and the fourth Test to get underway, the most relieved must be Anshul Kamboj. The 24-year-old medium-pace bowler made his debut at Old Trafford on Wednesday, after Akash Deep was deemed unfit and the team management decided to bench Prasidh Krishna. The bowler from Haryana, who shot to limelight for taking all 10 wickets in an innings of a Ranji Trophy match against Kerala last season, is in the XI as the third seamer with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. It is a forced call, following the injuries to Akash and Arshdeep Singh, and some unimpressive showing by Prasidh in the first two Tests.

Added to the squad on an emergency basis after the two bowlers originally named in the tour party became unavailable, Kamboj shouldn’t mind one bit that he made the cut as a replacement. He did well in domestic cricket and got rewarded. The right-arm bowler took 34 wickets from six Ranji Trophy matches in 2024-25 and was a key figure in his team’s run up to the quarter-finals.

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More importantly, the player nicknamed AK 47 is believed to have the traits which make a bowler of his kind successful in England. He is below express and bowls medium-pace rather pace. But he possesses control and the ability to make the ball move both ways. He is quick in finding the right areas and probing those. In typically English conditions, such bowlers are usually useful. Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were effective there despite not bowling at any great speed.

Hailing from Haryana, Kamboj is used to cold weather, overcast conditions and moist surroundings when Ranji Trophy is played during the winter months. He has learnt how to use those to his advantage by making the ball swing and extracting deviation off the pitch. The selectors have been impressed with his skills and control over movement. That’s why he was fast-tracked into the Indian team after one standout domestic first-class season.

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Kamboj is known to be able to score a few runs, which the Indian team desperately wants from its lower-order. He made his first first-class half-century playing for India A against England Lions just before the Test series. He was the No. 9 and shared an unbroken eighth-wicket partnership of 149 runs with Tanush Kotian. Kamboj also took five wickets in three innings across the two matches.

A bit fortunate, yes, but Kamboj has earned his place in the Indian XI. He ticked the right boxes and fulfilled the criteria before getting there. And his dream is coming true at a moment when his team is looking for fresh energy and determination in order to square the series. There couldn’t have been a better time for a youngster to become the 318th player to represent India in Test cricket.