Anshul Kamboj silenced his critics with a match-winning performance during India's five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland on Wednesday (November 4).

Bouncing back fiercely from a tough start in Mullanpur—where he had leaked 82 runs on his ODI debut against the West Indies last month—the 25-year-old Haryana pacer delivered one of the most economical spells in recent memory.

Kamboj choked the Kiwi batting lineup by relentlessly hitting a tight line and length, returning with the figures of 10-2-22-2. He dismissed New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner (4) and Nathan Smith (1) in quick succession, helping India bundle out the hosts for a paltry 185 in 40.2 overs.

Following some heavy social media trolling regarding his lack of express pace and tag labels like "IPL quota," Kamboj addressed his critics calmly during the post-match press conference.

"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 told reporters.

"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.

When asked if the social media trolls bothered him after a difficult debut against the West Indies, Kamboj replied: "I don't pay much attention to these things. I focus more on my cricket and see how I can improve as a bowler. I don't pay much attention to what people think about me or what they say about me. So, it doesn't make a big difference to me."

Kamboj emphasized hitting a consistent good length because the pitch offered some movement. His execution of the wobble seam—where the ball is released with a slight tilt or rotation rather than a rigid upright seam—created unpredictable movement off the surface that troubled the Black Caps batters.

"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 stated.

Anshul Kamboj also reflected on playing at Eden Park, dismissing concerns about the stadium's famously short straight boundaries.

"I didn't think much about the result because there was a lot of purchase on the wicket. There are such small grounds in India as well. So, dimensions don't make a big difference.

"When you look at the wicket, you look at what you have to bowl on that wicket. You don't look at the dimensions," he said.

Kamboj was drafted into the ODI squad because India rested premier fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for various reasons.

The youngster said he would like to work on his bowling rather than thinking about 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."

Kamboj said the bowling unit needs to work as a team to get success against a quality side like New Zealand.

"If someone is bowling well from one end, you get a wicket from the other end. We were just trying to keep creating as much pressure as possible. If they (NZ batters) are stuck, keep them stuck for a longer period of time.

"We were trying not to give them easy boundaries or easy runs. If you don't give them easy runs, they will play some wrong shots to make runs. So, it worked for us. I think in one-day cricket, you bowl as much as you can in a partnership," he noted.

Kamboj believes using two new balls in one-day cricket from each end will help a bowler utilise the conditions better.

"In T20 cricket, there's only one new ball. So, when it gets old after 4-5 overs, the movement gets reduced. But in one-day cricket, there's a new ball from both sides. So, we can get swing for 10 or 15 overs, and we can still stretch it if there is movement after that phase," he remarked.

With this victory, India gained a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The second ODI will be played in Wellington on Saturday (November 7).

(With PTI Inputs)