Anshul Kamboj

A hit-the-deck seamer from Karnal, Haryana, Anshul Kamboj was fast-tracked into the India Test squad in the summer of 2025, within a year after he grabbed all 10 wickets in a Ranji Trophy innings. He was flown to England in the middle of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and he got his Test cap at Old Trafford at the age of 24.

Kamboj remained under the radar in his early years. Missing out on selection for the India Under-19 team in 2020 lit a fire in him. Fueled by that disappointment, he worked relentlessly and just two seasons later, he broke through to make his senior debut across formats for Haryana before turning 22.

In 2023-24, Kamboj came in the radar of the IPL scouts when he played a key role in Haryana's run to their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title. He was subsequently signed by Mumbai Indians at base price but released ahead of the 2025 mega auction where he was picked by Chennai Super Kings for INR 3.4 crore. In a tough season where CSK finished at the bottom, Kamboj stood out as one of the few bright spots among the emerging Indian talents.

Between the summers of 2024 and 2025, Kamboj proved his red-ball chops as well. First he picked up a match-winning eight-for on a docile surface in the season-opening Duleep Trophy and then hit the high notes when he became just the third bowler after Bengal's Premangsu Chatterjee (in 1956-57) and Rajasthan's Pradeep Sunderam (1985-86) to take 10 wickets in an innings in the Ranji Trophy.

A strong first-class season earned him an India A call-up on the shadow tour of England in the 2025 summer. In July, an injury to Arshdeep Singh prior to the fourth Test in Manchester earned him a maiden India call-up. Within two days of arriving in England, Kamboj was handed a Test cap number 318.