ENG vs IND 2025: Anshul Kamboj receives maiden India cap ahead of Manchester Test

The right-arm pacer Anshul Kamboj was not part of the announced Test squad for the England tour. He played a two-match Test series for India A against England Lions just before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy set to begin.

But, Kamboj received his maiden India cap before the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. The Karnal-born cricketer was one of the standout performers in the India A tour, but was overlooked for the five-match series.

The 24-year-old entered into the Test setup for the Shubman Gill-led side amid injury ravages, where Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh were ruled out of the Manchester game, forcing the side to pick him up for the do-or-die encounter. He took 17 wickets in 10 matches during Haryana’s victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign in 2023.

BCCI@BCCI

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! Welcome to Test cricket - Anshul Kamboj 👏 👏 #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND

06:02 PM · Jul 23, 2025

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Who is Anshul Kamboj?

Kamboj's subtle movement drew attention among the setup, and was initially signed by Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2024, but was traded to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the season. He claimed eight wickets in eight matches and held an economy rate of 8.00. He also holds the record of picking all the ten wickets in a First-Class match, a feat he achieved during the 2024-25 season of the Ranji Trophy tournament.

The Indian team management called up the youngster to join the squad ahead of the fourth Test, and was picked over Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two games of the series. He was handed his cap by former Bengal and India cricketer Deep Dasgupta.

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India make 3 changes for must-win Manchester Test

Speaking about the team, India’s playing XI were shuffled a lot for the Manchester Test. Kamboj comes in for Deep, Shardul Thakur replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out of the series. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer Sai Sudharsan also replaced Karun Nair in the playing XI.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to field first under overcast conditions, with Liam Dawson coming in for Shoaib Bashir for the hosts. With India trailing 1-2 in the series, the Manchester Test will be crucial for the visitors as they look to level the series. Meanwhile, England will aim to win the match, sealing the series and get into the final match with ease.