Anshul Kamboj (Getty Images)
TimesofIndia.com in Manchester: Anshul Kamboj joins the team on Saturday, spends time with Manchester United players on Sunday, bowls full tilt in the nets on Monday and could well play his first game for India on Wednesday. Life has been truly in the fast lane for the 24-year-old who was called up to the Test squad for the ongoing series vs England after injuries and unavailability in the Indian camp ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
The youngster bowled for over 45 minutes in the nets with the new ball, had multiple conversations with head coach Gautam Gambhir and men’s senior selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar and kept picking brains of his teammates Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. Kamboj was very consistent with his areas when he bowled to KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and looked in great rhythm. The feedback, conversations and chatter with teammates continued as he went through the rigours in his first outdoor hit with the Indian cricket team. India are in a tight spot right now as far as Playing XI is confirmed because Akash Deep is still recovering from the groin issue and Arshdeep Singh is already ruled out of the game due to a blow to his left hand in Beckenham.This leaves them with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna and Kamboj. While the first two are set to walk out in the whites on July 23, there seems to be a strong temptation to play Kamboj who is known for being relentless with his lines and lengths. The right-armer was part of the India A squad which featured in the two fixtures vs England Lions and returned with five wickets and also hit an unbeaten half-century with the bat. And he is very capable of doing something which Mohammed Siraj emphasised on during a media interaction – consistently bowl in the right areas. Additionally, Prasidh Krishna not taking the new ball and being a spectator for most of the first hour did give strong hints of what the management could be thinking for the must-win clash.
Rishabh Pant resumes wicketkeeping, Akash undergoes fitness testIn a big boost, vice-captain Pant put the big gloves on work and underwent wicketkeeping and catching drills with the rest of the slip corden. The index finger on the left hand was well protected under the gloves and he figured the right amount of padding before getting his preparations underway. There were a couple of painful takes down the leg side but he mostly looked comfortable and should be good to go for the fourth Test.Even while batting, he didn’t look in any discomfort while facing a mix of seam, spin and side-arm. Pant wasn’t at his fluent best during the session but he assured Gill that when he looks ugly in nets, the match is a different story. In what seemed like a relaxed session where players operated at high intensity, there was a cause of concern as Akash Deep underwent a fitness assessment on the practice pitches.The bowler has a groin issue and bowled a few deliveries under the watch of bowling coach Morne Morkel and the physio. He, however, didn’t do any activity in the nets and is unlikely to feature in the Old Trafford Test.
