CHENNAI: A Test debut to forget in England last year. An ODI debut that did not go his way against the West Indies last month. Anshul Kamboj has seen the worst of all in both formats when he turned up in India colours for the very first time.
In Indian cricket, oftentimes, bowlers with such debuts might slip through the cracks and never get a chance again. Ask Pankaj Singh. And he could tell all about it. The Rajasthan veteran never got another chance after a disastrous tour of England. But for Kamboj, the tides have finally turned.
After going for 82 runs on his ODI debut, Kamboj rose to the occasion with a memorable spell of 2/22 in ten overs as he helped India beat New Zealand in the rain-affected first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland on Wednesday. "One bad match does not decide a player's career. I just focused on my process as I had always done. It did not have much effect on me that I could not do well in one match," Kamboj said in the post-match press conference.
"But in fact, it gave me a lot of motivation to do better, and made me understand the areas where I need to get better. See, results will not be in your favour every time," he added.
Kamboj reaped rich dividends from his stoic mindset in Auckland, taking the wickets of Kiwi batters Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith. "Actually, the wicket (at Eden Park) was a little seaming. But it was also important that I bowl at a good length and areas. It's the only way I can get a purchase from the wicket. If you miss the length, you can go for runs. So, I was trying to bowl as much as I could in good areas. The wobble seam was working well, and I used it to good effect," he said.
Kamboj came into the squad because India rested premier bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for various reasons. The 25-year-old said he would like to work on his bowling rather than worrying about extraneous things like team selection. "I am just looking to build the same momentum in the next match or whichever match I play. So, I am just not thinking about anything, and I am working on things which I can improve, whether it is bowling, batting or fielding."
(With inputs from agencies)