ENG vs IND: "We need to assess players over..."- Sourav Ganguly reacts to Anshul Kamboj's snub after just one test

Anshul Kamboj made his test debut in the fourth test against England in Manchester.

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly came out in the support of Anshul Kamboj after the fast bowler was dropped from India‘s playing XI for the fifth test against England at The Oval, London. The visitors made four changes to their playing XI.

While Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the match due to injury, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, and Anshul Kamboj made way for Prasidh Krishna, Karun Nair and Akash Deep. Kamboj made his test debut in the last test at Old Trafford, Manchester. He was picked in the playing XI after Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh were ruled out of the encounter due to respective injuries.

However, Kamboj failed to make an impact in the match. He struggled with his line and length while bowling. He leaked 89 runs across 18 overs at an economy of 4.90. He got one wicket in the encounter.

Don’t judge Anshul Kamboj based on just one test match: Sourav Ganguly

While speaking during an event, former BCCI president Ganguly said that Anshul Kamboj should not be judged on the basis of just one match. Ganguly was also surprised by Mukesh Kumar’s absence in the ongoing test series.

“Don’t judge Anshul Kamboj based on just one Test match. He’s a young kid who has taken plenty of wickets in domestic cricket. We need to assess players over five, six, even eight Tests before forming opinions,” he was quoted as saying by India Today.

“That said, I’ll be honest—I’m surprised not to see Mukesh Kumar in the national squad, especially in red-ball cricket. His domestic numbers are phenomenal, and these conditions would have suited his style of bowling perfectly. Hopefully, he’ll get his opportunity in the near future,” he added.

Ganguly also feels that India should’ve played Kuldeep Yadav in the series. The left-arm spinner was benched in all five matches during the series.

“I think England went with four fast bowlers. They left a bit of grass on the wicket—I’m presuming that was deliberate. India have had quality spinners like Jadeja and Ashwin in the past. I really wish Kuldeep had played in Manchester, at Lord’s, and even in Birmingham. Without quality spin, it’s hard to bowl a team out on Day 5,” he further said.

Meanwhile, the fifth test has been affected by rain on day one. England skipper Ollie Pope won the toss and opted to bowl first.

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