Anshul Kamboj might have been the Player of the Match in the ODI series opener against New Zealand, but the last year or so has been a roller coaster ride for the pacer from Haryana.
During the 2025 IPL, MS Dhoni had said that Kamboj's biggest strength is that he hits the bat hard, and the pacer did just that in the first ODI at Eden Park in Auckland. The speeds were right up there, as he even touched the 140kmph mark, tying down Tim Seifert and Daryl Mitchell.
He made his Test debut last year against England at Manchester, and the match didn't go according to plan. The pacer was thrown into the deep end straightaway by the team management, and the results were far from ideal.
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In the 18 overs he bowled, the pace ranged from 128-132kmph, and he leaked 89 runs, taking just the sole wicket of Ben Duckett.
{{/usCountry}}In the 18 overs he bowled, the pace ranged from 128-132kmph, and he leaked 89 runs, taking just the sole wicket of Ben Duckett.
{{/usCountry}}"When he played the Test match in England last year, that turned out to be a bad day for us. That didn't go well. But since the under-14 days, he has been performing really well,” Kamboj's coach Satish Rana told HT.
He didn't get another chance in Tests and had to wait more than a year to play another international match for India. He made his ODI debut last month, coming as a replacement for Prasidh Krishna. He conceded 82 runs in nine overs as the Windies chased down more than 350 runs.
However, the team management definitely saw something in him, which is why he was named in the ODI and Test squad for the New Zealand tour. Slowly and steadily, Kamboj is now repaying the faith.
In a match where Virat Kohli came up with a flawless 51-ball 74, Kamboj was the one who walked away with all the spotlight and rightly so.
He was flawless in the Auckland ODI against the Blackcaps. He had both Seifert and Kamboj tied down, giving away just eight runs in his first four overs. His opening spell might not have yielded wickets, but his second burst saw him earn the reward, dismissing Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith.
Kamboj nailed the back of the length deliveries and was difficult to get away. His coach puts down his latest performance to the pacer doing the hard work inside the gym. The 25-year-old has always been focused on his bowling, and is now reaping the benefits of not shying away from doing the hard work.
“He worked on his strength. He has increased his stamina. He worked really hard, and he worked really hard on his strength and conditioning during the gym sessions,” Rana said.
“He has touched 140 previously in the IPL. When he was about 10 to 11 years old, he first came to me. He was always focused, and this is not the case with every kid. He was very disciplined in his bowling. He turned up at the ground no matter what,” he added.
What happened behind the scenes?
Before playing the ODI against New Zealand, Kamboj was a part of the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against New Zealand A. He played the first Test in Lincoln, taking four wickets. The fixture gave him an opportunity to learn what lengths to bowl on New Zealand grounds, and the exposure held him in good stead for the ODIs.
Even before arriving in New Zealand, Kamboj was at the training ground back home, honing his skills. The pacer also doesn't shy away from calling his coach to get feedback.
"Whenever he is free, he comes to the ground. Even before leaving for New Zealand, he was at the ground. His biggest strength is that he is always willing to put in the hard yards, and he never shies away from a challenge," said Rana.
“I keep on chatting with him after the match days. The chat has always been about how he needs to be disciplined and work hard. We keep discussing his line and length,” he added.
Kamboj has also given a good account of himself in the IPL, where bowlers are up for slaughter in most of the games. In the 2026 edition, he picked up 21 wickets in 14 matches, emerging as a good option inside the Powerplay.
“Mahi bhai has really supported him during the IPL. He has been very impressed with him too,” Rana concluded.