NEW DELHI:
On a nippy Friday morning in Lahli, Haryana medium pacer Anshul Kamboj became the star of this season after becoming the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings in the Ranji Trophy. Kamboj achieved the feat against Kerala, returning figures 10/49 after bowling 30.1 overs.
Son of a farmer from Karnal, the soon-to-be 24-year-old has already impressed national selectors. Interestingly, Kamboj has modelled his game around Glenn McGrath, who retired from the game when Kamboj was merely seven years old. “I remember watching some of McGrath’s matches on TV. When I started playing at the age of 12, I started watching a lot of his spells on YouTube. I realised the imprtance of bowling a consistent line and length. I was fascinated by it,” Kamboj told
TOI
on Friday evening. “I have ensured I didn’t drop my studies. I am still pursuing my graduation in Bachelor in Arts. It helps in thinking on my toes,” he added.
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who was the head coach of India U-19 team in 2019-20, recalled Kamboj as being a very steady bowler. Kamboj does not have express pace but he made full use of the historically seamer-friendly conditions in Lahli, where his support bowlers couldn’t offer a breakthrough. According to Mhambrey, Kamboj was always a good red-ball prospect.
“I remember he didn’t make it to the U-19 World Cup. But he was always a steady bowler and looked stronger for his age. He was stout and could bat well down the order,” Mhambrey told
TOI
. “Rahul Dravid too felt he was a better prospect in red-ball cricket because he could hit the deck hard at a back of a length and we played him in a couple of Youth Tests. It seems he must have increased his pace now,” Mhambrey said.
Kamboj is growing into a role of a lead pacer as the Haryana side moves on from veterans Harshal Patel and Mohit Sharma. Kamboj used to travel and stay over in Gurgaon to learn cricket in his early days since Karnal didn’t have good facilities. “When I watched India win the 2011 World Cup, it motivated me. I told my parents that I wanted to play cricket professionally. My family has always been supportive. They never asked me to worry about the results. I started playing at a local academy in Karnal. But then I decided to get professional coaching in Gurgaon. I didn’t travel everyday because it would have taken a toll on my body. So, I stayed over at relatives’ place for a few days in a week,” he said.
After having moved to Rohtak’s Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club later on, he owes a lot of his success to Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) president Anirudh Chaudhry for providing him facilities to grow as a player.
“Anirudh sir arranged frequent pace-bowling camps in Rohtak during off seasons. I got to learn from Mohit
bhaiya
and Harshal
bhaiya
. I learnt a lot from them,” Kamboj said.
TOI
understands that Kamboj was close to being picked for the India ‘A’ team which recently toured Australia. Navdeep Saini was eventually preferred ahead of him since India coach Gautam Gambhir needed more experience from the backup pacers ahead of the five-Test tour against the Aussies.
Kamboj travelled with the India ‘A’ team to Oman for the Emerging Asia Cup last month. He is seen as a serious red-ball prospect. “He currently bowls at early 130 kph. The selectors hope if he can increase pace by a few kilometres, he could be ready to play international cricket in a couple of years,” BCCI sources said.
This is exactly what he has been working on. “I have never been injured. But I am trying to increase my pace. But I understand the importance of accuracy and I try to adjust according to the situation of the game in each format,” Kamboj said.
Kamboj has already played three matches for Mumbai Indians at the fag of last season, when MI’s chances in tournament had evaporated. He picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 11.40 in a high-scoring tournament.