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

Anshul Kamboj, a right-arm pacer, was not included in the declared Test squad for England. He played two Tests for India A against the England Lions shortly before the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy began.

However, Kamboj won his first India cap before the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. The Karnal-born cricketer was one of the standouts on the India A trip, but he was not selected for the five-match series.

The 24-year-old joined the Shubman Gill-led squad amid injury woes, as Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Arshdeep Singh were all ruled out of the Manchester game, prompting the team to call him up for the do-or-die clash. He collected 17 wickets in ten matches during Haryana’s successful Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign in 2023.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩!

Welcome to Test cricket – Anshul Kamboj 👏 👏#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/TcMTI2iw9U

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 23, 2025

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.

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.