Former spinner Ravichandran Ashwin analysed India captain Shubman Gill’s decision to give the new ball to debutant Anshul Kamboj on Day 2 of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford. Instead of opting for the experienced Mohammed Siraj, Gill chose Kamboj to open the bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah after India were dismissed for 358 in their first innings.
Kamboj had a tough start, conceding three boundaries to Ben Duckett in his opening over. However, he settled into a better rhythm later. Mohammed Siraj was brought into the attack by the eighth over as England made a strong start with the new ball. A similar situation had occurred in the third Test at Lord’s, where Akash Deep was preferred over Siraj to open the bowling with Bumrah.
R Ashwin pointed out that Anshul Kamboj’s skills with the new ball, combined with Mohammed Siraj’s effectiveness with the older ball due to his scrambled seam and high intensity, made Shubman Gill’s choice to hand the new ball to the debutant a reasonable one.
“Shubman Gill gave the new ball to Anshul Kamboj, and that is highly debatable. I can see why Shubman gave him the new ball, there are two reasons for that, Anshul Kamboj is a good exponent, his wrist position is good, he can swing the ball both ways, and Siraj has the ability to bowl well with the old ball. So, I can see merit in that (decision),” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Despite Underwhelming Start, Ashwin Confident Kamboj Will Make An Impact
Although Kamboj didn’t make a strong impact in his debut international appearance, Ashwin was impressed with his abilities and believes he can perform well if the pitch conditions become more favourable for bowlers during the Test.
“We have said this before as well, there was no one bowling in partnership with Jassi. To expect Anshul Kamboj to do that against Bazball in his first Test? We have to cut him some slack. I think his first spell was a little disappointing, but he came back very nicely. I wouldn’t be surprised, if the conditions help tomorrow morning, he could open up a few more wickets,” he added.
Anshul Kamboj ended Day 2 with bowling figures of 1 for 48 from 10 overs, including a maiden. The right-arm pacer made an unexpected debut, having not been named in the original squad. Injuries to Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh opened the door for the 24-year-old, who was selected ahead of Prasidh Krishna as the third fast bowler.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
