Growing up in Karnal, Anshul Kamboj started playing cricket because his father Udham Singh wanted him to lose weight. The seamer’s story is similar to a fellow Haryana athlete and double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra, who too was overweight as a kid.
On Friday, the Haryana medium pacer became only the third cricketer after Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee (1956-57) and Rajasthan’s Pradeep Sundaram (1985-86) to take all ten wickets in an innings in the Ranji Trophy. Playing against Kerala, his bowling figures read 30.1-9-49-10 as the visitors were bowled out for 291 in their first essay. Haryana were 139/7 in response.
Life had felt weighty a dozen years ago though for the day’s hero. “As a 10-year-old, he was overweight,” Kamboj’s childhood coach Satish Rana tells The Indian Express. A 10-year-old Anshul was taken to the nearest cricket academy by his father, who instructed coach Rana to make him bowl so that he would shed a few kilos.
1⃣ innings 🤝 1⃣0⃣ wickets 👏
Historic Spell 🙌
3⃣0⃣.1⃣ overs
9⃣ maidens
4⃣9⃣ runs
1⃣0⃣ wickets 🔥Watch 📽️ Haryana Pacer Anshul Kamboj’s record-breaking spell in the 1st innings against Kerala 👌👌#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RcNP3NQJ2y
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 15, 2024
“The funny thing was Udham ji wanted him to become a bowler. He wanted him to bowl more so that he would run more and it would help him get into shape. He was right, after all, today the boy has created history,” Rana recalls.
The 23-year-old is the sixth Indian to achieve this milestone in first-class cricket, a list that includes Subhash Gupte against a touring first class side from Pakistan, Anil Kumble in the Pakistan Test and Debasis Mohanty in Duleep Trophy.
On Thursday evening at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli, Rohtak, Kamboj walked out with eight wickets and the thought of taking all the ten wickets. “I was happy with my bowling yesterday. When I was going to sleep, the thought of taking a 10-fer, crossed my mind. I told myself, if I would take the first wicket in the morning I will request our captain to let me bowl and finish the job,” Kamboj tells this newspaper after his historic feat.
For the past four years, Kamboj has trained under Tejinder Mann at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club, Rohtak and the coach says that his strength is hitting good length throughout the day. “He is not rapid. But he has the knack of hitting the good length throughout the day. He bowled 30 overs in Kerala’s innings, that lasted 116.1 overs. He not only picked all the ten wickets but also was the most economical bowler,” says Mann.
Anshul’s obsession with hitting the good length consistently started when coach Satish Rana showed him videos of Australian legend Glenn McGrath.
“Watching McGrath’s videos became his hobby. He memorised McGrath’s stats in a few days time and started calling himself the next McGrath as well,” laughs Rana.
Anshul, who was also impressive in the recently concluded U-23 Emerging Asia Cup, admits his love for the Australian legend.
“He is the best. The ability to hit the good length consistently over the years is incredible. I have modelled my bowling on him but yes, I watched thousands of videos, where batters are dancing to his tunes,” he says.
𝐖.𝐎.𝐖! 🔥
Haryana Pacer Anshul Kamboj has taken all 1⃣0⃣ Kerala wickets in the 1st innings in #RanjiTrophy 🙌
He’s just the 6th Indian bowler to achieve this feat in First-Class cricket & only the 3rd in Ranji Trophy 👏
Scorecard: https://t.co/SeqvmjOSUW@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/mMACNq4MAD
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 15, 2024
“As I played more cricket, I realised my strength is also to hit the good length. My height is six feet two inches and because of that, I generate the extra bounce as well. When I get the ball in my hand, my main objective remains to hit the top of the off stump at least five times in an over,” he adds.
Kamboj burst onto the scene when he took 17 wickets in ten games and helped Haryana lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy Trophy in 2023. On the back of that performance, he bagged an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians and played three games.
“At the MI camp, I got the chance to spend time with Jasprit Bumrah. I feel those interactions improved me as a bowler. The one thing that struck me is when he said ‘A bowler must have more than one plan to get a batter out. He always used to say always come for a match with good preparation. A captain can set the field but it is you, who will have to execute your plans. Those are valuable learnings for me,” he recalls.
Earlier this year, Kamboj picked up 8 for 69 while playing for India C against India B in the Duleep Trophy match, which was the best first-class figures until this match. Sachin Rana says Kamboj is a very rare bowler, who doesn’t struggle while shuffling the formats. “He played Duleep Trophy, then one Ranji Trophy, and went to Oman for the Emerging Asia Cup, which was a T20 tournament and now he is back playing the red-ball. He doesn’t care about the format. You give him the ball, he will get you the wickets,” says Rana.
“He has so much confidence in his skill sets. It is not something new. Right from the U-14 days, he has never shied away from bowling longer spells. If a captain will keep throwing the ball at him, without asking the question he will continue to bowl,” adds Rana.
Kamboj dedicates his 10-fer to his father, who has been battling “seizures” in the last decade.
“I am very close to him. He was the one who wanted me to become a cricketer but he has never seen me playing. He has been getting these seizure attacks for many years now. He does ask me a lot of questions about my cricket when I go home. After this match, when I will go home, I want to hand this ball to him,” he says.
The youngster is not perturbed about the hype that this 10-fer will bring into his life. He says, “I bowled well and got my reward. I don’t think it will bring any changes. I just want to improve my skill sets, nothing else. We have got a long season ahead. After this match, we will be playing Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare and then the last leg of the Ranji Trophy, followed by the IPL. There is no time to rest and celebrate this milestone.”
Brief score: Kerala 291 all out in 116.1 overs (Akshay Chandran 59, Sachin Baby 52; Anshul Kamboj 10/49) vs Haryana 139 for 7 in 61 overs (Ankit Kumar 27; MD Nidheesh 3/37). Haryana trail by 152 runs.
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