Haryana cricketer Anshul Kamboj made history on Friday by becoming the first bowler in 39 years to claim all 10 wickets in an inning in the ongoing Ranji trophy. The fast bowler achieved the feat in the match between Haryana and Kerala held at the Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli, Haryana. The remarkable performances of Kamboj are sure to draw the attention of the BCCI, who are on the lookout for pacers to lead the line for the national team.

The 23-year-old Anshul Kamboj hails from a small village in Karnal, Haryana. With his stellar performance, he has become only the third bowler in the history of the Ranji tournament to achieve this rare feat. The young bowler ended the innings with incredible figures of 10/49, bowling out Kerala for just 291 runs.

Before Kamboj, Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee (10/20) against Assam in 1956-57 and Rajasthan’s Pradeep Sunderam (10/78) against Vidarbha in 1985-86 were the only other bowlers to achieve this milestone in the Ranji Trophy. Overall, Kamboj is the sixth Indian bowler to grab a 10-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. The legendary Anil Kumble, Subhash Gupte, and Debashish Mohanty are the others on the list.

After his incredible spell, Kamboj has now managed to notch up more than 50 First-Class wickets in only 19 matches. He was also among the leading wicket-takers with 17 scalps from 10 matches as Haryana went on to win the Vijay Hazare Trophy title for the first time. Kamboj, who was picked by Mumbai Indians for the 2024 IPL after an impressive domestic season, has recently also represented India A in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup tournament in Oman.

India’s struggle for a pacer

Kamboj’s extraordinary performances coupled with his young age are sure to draw the attention of the BCCI. The authorities will now expectedly keep a close eye on the pacer’s development, grooming him for a role in the national team in the future. The Indian national team has been suffering from a pacer crunch that could consistently deliver for the national team for years on the trot.

Over the years the BCCI has earmarked many young fast bowlers, but the majority of them have failed to live up to the high expectations. Umran Malik, Navdeep Saini, and Varun Aaron were some names touted as the next big thing in Indian fast bowling. The three were hitting spectacular speeds of over 150km/h in the domestic circuit. Yet they have all been unable to showcase and build on their talents.

Even the fast bowlers getting regular opportunities with the national team have so far not really shone on the national stage. Despite getting a plethora of opportunities, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed have been extremely underwhelming. While the experienced Mukesh Kumar has also struggled at the top level.

A few years back India boasted an enviable pace battery. Led by the lanky steadfast Ishant Sharma and backed by Bhuvneshvar Kumar and Umesh Yadav. This coupled with the likes of world-class quicks like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, India’s incredible firepower was good enough to take on any opposition at any ground.

Current Talents

Among the current bowling line, it was expected that Mohammed Siraj would grow into his role, to become the main strike bowler along with Bumrah to lead the pack much like Ishant or Zaheer, but instead, his performances have plummeted rapidly. The much-touted Prasidh Krishna has also failed to create any impact. With only Arshdeep Singh showing any semblance of consistency.

One name that has been doing the rounds is that of the mercurial Mayank Yadav. The express bowler has been raising eyebrows with his pace and skill. With young Anshul Kamboj also showcasing his ability to run through sides, BCCI will be hoping they can groom the duo properly and mold them into regulars for the national team.

The tour of Australia is just around the corner, coming right at the back of the humiliating whitewash handed to India at home by New Zealand. With no real backup, the likes of Bumrah, Siraj, and Akashdeep are expected to deliver on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia. India’s 10-year hold over the Border Gavaskar Trophy will be surely tested, and the fast bowlers are bound to play a major role if India in retaining the prestigious trophy.