Pacer Anshul Kamboj has been added to India’s squad in England as cover for Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, who are racing against time to be fit for the fourth Test beginning at Old Trafford on July 23.
Akash Deep, who featured in the second and third Tests at Birmingham and Lord’s respectively, is managing a groin niggle and remains a doubt for the final match of the series.
Arshdeep, yet to make an appearance in the ongoing series, is also unlikely to be available for selection in Manchester, according to information learned by the local agency.
Arshdeep sustained a blow to his left hand while attempting to stop a shot from Sai Sudharsan during a net session at Beckenham on Thursday. The incident required his bowling arm to be bandaged and further medical assessment was underway.
“We’ll take a call on the combination we play, particularly given the Arshdeep situation as well, we’ll make that call closer to Manchester,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said.
“He took a ball while he was bowling…it’s just a cut, so we have to see how bad the cut is. Obviously the medical team has taken him off to see a doctor and if he needs stitches or doesn’t need stitches that’s going to be important to our planning for the next few days,” ten Doeschate added.
Kamboj, 24, earned his call-up after an impressive showing for India A against the England Lions in two warm-up games before the Test series. The Haryana pacer claimed five wickets across four innings at Northampton and Canterbury, moving the ball well and extracting awkward bounce at times.
Seen as a future red-ball prospect, Kamboj’s addition comes as Mukesh Kumar edges into his thirties and Harshit Rana is yet to find his rhythm in first-class cricket.
Kamboj made headlines last year when he took all 10 wickets in an innings for Haryana against Kerala in a Ranji Trophy match at Lahli, becoming only the third bowler to achieve the feat in the tournament’s history after Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee (1956-57) and Rajasthan’s Pradeep Somasundaram (1985-86).
In the previous Ranji Trophy season, Kamboj finished with 34 wickets from six matches, further underlining his credentials in India’s premier domestic red-ball competition.
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