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Medium-pace all-rounder Anshul Kamboj could make his Test debut in the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, sources close to CricBlogger confirmed on Tuesday. The Haryana cricketer has impressed the team management with his ability to bowl long, probing spells — a quality highly valued in English conditions.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has spent considerable time with Kamboj in the nets over the past few days, suggesting serious consideration is being given to include him in the playing XI. The growing belief within the Indian camp is to go with a five-bowler strategy to maintain bowling depth and pressure across all sessions.
If included, Kamboj would join a bowling lineup likely to feature Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar. His inclusion would not only add balance but also offer a handy lower-order batting option, allowing India to strengthen their bowling attack without compromising too much on depth.
Sources also revealed that the Indian team is inclined to give Karun Nair one more opportunity, despite his modest performances in the current series — a show of faith that stands in stark contrast to how someone like Shardul Thakur has been handled.
This possible continuity in the batting lineup could also mean that Kuldeep Yadav, despite being in good form and offering variety, may once again miss out on a place in the playing XI due to team combination constraints. “You can’t play three spinners in England, can you?” a source asked.
To play it safe, India may consider fielding both Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel in the XI for the Manchester Test — a move aimed at boosting the batting depth while also managing Pant’s workload behind the stumps. But sources also insisted that Sai Sudarshan may just get a look in to strengthen the batting. He was even seen visualising on the pitch bare feet.
Likely XI:
KL Rahul, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Karun Nair, Washington Sunder, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj & Anshul Kamboj.
