Fast bowler Anshul Kamboj has been added to India’s squad ahead of the fourth Test as a cover for Arshdeep Singh, who suffered a cut on his bowling hand during a training session in Beckenham earlier this week.
With Arshdeep unlikely to recover in time before the Test in Manchester, which begins on Wednesday, the national selection committee has decided to add the young fast bowler from Haryana as a back-up option.
Sources in the BCCI confirmed the development to Sportstar and added that the pacer will link up with the squad later on Sunday.
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After a successful domestic season, where he claimed 79 wickets in 24 games for Haryana, Kamboj had a productive stint with India A during its two-match series against England. He claimed five wickets in two games, impressing the selectors with his performance.
Last season, he claimed a 10-wicket haul in a Ranji Trophy innings, becoming the third cricketer to do so, after Premangshu Chatterjee and Pradeep Sunderram.
With Arshdeep likely to take another 10 days to recover and Akash Deep still nursing an injury, it would be interesting to see if Kamboj is directly drafted into India’s playing eleven.
As it rained on Sunday, India’s optional training session remained a closed-door affair. Senior players – including captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, K.L. Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah – skipped the session, while the other members spent a couple of hours at the indoor facility.