In a situation of crisis, fans should not expect an outwardly performance from a player making his Test debut, let alone international debut. But some Indian fans thought Anshul Kamboj would be the missing piece in India’s jigsaw puzzle.
Unfortunately, Kamboj’s debut left them in utter disappointment. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer surely has tremendous talent, and thus has come this far ahead to become India’s 318th Test player. However, he proved to be lackluster, taking just a solitary wicket in his debut innings. Superbly, Kapil Dev, one of India’s all-time great, has come in support of Kamboj.
“Kamboj will bounce back”
While admitting that a debutant feels nervous, Kapil assured that he finds enough ability in Kamboj to bounce back.
“What do you expect from a debutant — to take 10 wickets? You need to assess his potential. If he’s good enough, he will bounce back,” Kapil Dev said on Saturday during the launch of the second-half schedule of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). “Everyone feels nervous in their first game. The result may not be ideal, but I believe the ability is there, and that’s more important.”
Not part of the initial squad, Kamboj was brought in especially for the fourth Test after injuries came as unwelcomed guest in the Indian camp. Akash Deep got injured during the third Test, while Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh were also injured during training. Hence, India looked at Kamboj, who impressed in the India A vs England Lions four-day games prior to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Overall, Kamboj’s first class numbers – 79 wickets at 22.8 – before this match were great. He offers swing and tight lines and lengths. However, he wasn’t at his best in Manchester, leaking 89 runs in 18 overs. His only wicket came in the form of Ben Duckett, who was outdone with some extra bounce. Other than that, Kamboj was easily taken away.
