 "Anshul Kamboj with his Test cap")
There’s a saying that one loss is always someone else’s gain. While the context here might not represent a happy gain, it is certainly a monumental one. Indian cricket suffered a major blow ahead of the Manchester Test when their in-form pacer Akash Deep and back-up pacer Arshdeep Singh were ruled out of the match due to separate injuries. This forced the BCCI to add 24-year-old Haryana cricketer Anshul Kamboj to the main squad. But as fate would have it, the pacer—despite being added at the last minute—has been handed his maiden Test cap for the all-important Manchester Test, becoming the 318th cricketer to represent India in the longest format of the game.
He was in contention for the spot alongside Prasidh Krishna, but Krishna’s disappointing performance in the first two Tests resulted in him losing the spot to Kamboj.
On the path of the legend
Anshul Kamboj’s debut against England in the fourth Test makes him only the second Indian player to make his Test debut in Manchester. Before him, Anil Kumble made his Test debut in Manchester back in 1990. Notably, these two players are also the only Indian cricketers to have taken a 10-wicket haul in an innings in first-class cricket.
Kamboj shot to fame through IPL 2025
Despite being one of the most consistent players in the domestic circuit in recent years, it was his IPL 2025 stint with Chennai Super Kings that helped Kamboj make headlines. He played eight matches for CSK in IPL 2025, where he took eight wickets at an average of 21.50. However, his IPL debut came back in 2024 for Mumbai Indians, where he played just three matches and picked up two wickets. Although he does not have a pile of wickets to show for it, his line and length have been highly praised by cricket fans and experts, which earned him a place in India’s Test squad.
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Kamboj’s first big achievement
Anshul Kamboj’s rapid ascent in Indian domestic cricket is no fluke—it is rooted in performances that command recognition. His defining moment came during the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, where he produced a historic 10-wicket innings (10/49) against Kerala. With that spell, he joined an elite club of just three bowlers—alongside Premangsu Chatterjee and Pradeep Sundaram—to claim all ten wickets in a Ranji innings. The feat didn’t just showcase his red-ball brilliance; it also cemented his reputation as one of the most potent medium-pacers in the country’s domestic circuit.
Anshul Kamboj’s career stats so far
| Statistic | FC | LA | T20 |
| Matches | 22 | 25 | 24 |
| Runs scored | 410 | 55 | 55 |
| Batting average | 14.64 | 9.16 | 18.33 |
| 100s/50s | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Top score | 46 | 19* | 17 |
| Balls bowled | 3236 | 1170 | 419 |
| Wickets | 74 | 40 | 28 |
| Bowling average | 22.66 | 20 | 19.85 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 wickets in match | 1 | – | – |
| Best bowling | 10/49 | 4/22 | 3/12 |
| Catches/Stumpings | 10/– | 8/– | 9/– |
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