"Those With 30-40 Tests Do Not...": Ashwin Compares Kamboj To India Greats
As Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj gears up for his potential Test debut, the young pacer has received a big praise from former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Injuries to Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh paved the way for Kamboj to be added to the India squad ahead of the 4th Test in Manchester. While there are those who feel Praisdh Krishna deserves to be picked ahead of Kamboj for the penultimate contest of the series, Ashwin has drawn similarities between Kamboj and India greats like Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah.
"This England team, man to man, will not match India skills-wise. Looking at how Siraj and Bumrah bowled, if you bring Anshul Kamboj in, I'm telling you that is a serious bowling attack. People will tell he hasn't played but he was there on the A tour. He's been in cracking form in first-class cricket. He is used to bowling long spells and you need that in England. He will be a really good foil for Siraj and Bumrah. Prasidh is also an option but I would rather go with Anshul," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin and Kamboj were teammates in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). That is when Ashwin had the opportunity to see Kamboj from closed quarters. Sharing his opinion on the pacer, Ashwin said that the pacer has a rare ability to bowl as per the plan and deliver.
"An enjoyable and appreciable thing about Anshul Kamboj is that he understands the plan. Many bowlers with 30-40 Tests and beyond also do not understand plans. They will just say I will express myself, enjoy my game, I am here to let loose and all. One is understanding a plan, the other is to execute your plan that way. Many bowlers do not have this strength.
"But Anshul understands plans and also knows how to execute in the middle. It's not a trait many fast bowlers possess. Zaheer Khan was one of them. He was amazing. In recent times, Jassi (Bumrah) is one player who understands the plans and executes them to perfection. Anshul belongs to that variety. I'm not comparing skills because skills are a very different thing," he added.
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