Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has backed Anshul Kamboj as a strong contender for India's 2027 ODI World Cup probables list, highlighting that if the young pacer maintains his trajectory, his multi-phased bowling toolkit will make it impossible for selectors to ignore him.
Pathan addressed Kamboj's tough initiation to international cricket, which included a difficult Test debut during the England tour last year. He noted that rushing a young bowler into Test matches immediately after long travel without proper recovery or climate adjustment is highly demanding, and the early struggles shouldn't define his capacity.
According to Pathan, what sets Kamboj apart is his absolute versatility with the new ball, old ball, and death-bowling skills developed in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Pathan’s remarks followed Kamboj's spectacular redemption spell that led the foundation for India’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Auckland. Overcoming an expensive ODI debut against the West Indies in Mullanpur last month, the 25-year-old 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.
"He will be one of the bowlers for sure. What happened during the Test match, we have to understand. It is not easy to play a Test match after travelling. For any bowler to get adjusted to the climate, recovery and then go from there, it takes time. Anshul that time, needed more time to play Test cricket," Pathan said while speaking in a video by Cricinfo.
"What I like about him that he can bowl with the new ball and has some good death bowling skill as seen with CSK. He can come round the wicket and bowl the wide yorkers. He bowled with the old ball in this match (against NZ in 1st ODI). He has that package, with the old ball, new ball and can nibble the ball too. He will go up the ladder as far as future is concerned. You would not be surprised if he keeps going like this, selectors would be forced to think about him as one of the WC probables. He is definitely one of them," he added.
After delivering a Player-of-the-Match performance in Auckland ODI, Anshul 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 further remarked.
The second ODI between India and New Zealand will be played in Wellington on Saturday (November 7).
