As India prepares for the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy starting Wednesday, July 23, the team is facing major injury issues. Fast bowlers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh are unlikely to recover in time, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the rest of the series due to a knee injury.
In response, the Indian team has added Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj as a backup. Given the current situation, Kamboj might make his Test debut in Manchester. His inclusion, however, has sparked a debate.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has raised concerns over the decision to bring in Kamboj instead of Harshit Rana, who had earlier stayed back in England as a standby player before being sent home after the first Test.
Chopra questioned the inconsistent selection, saying, “It's very interesting. There was a lot of chatter about Anshul Kamboj. He did well for India A as well, but when there was an opportunity earlier, the team management chose Harshit Rana first. Anshul was sent back home, and now we are learning about his name again.”
He further added, “Harshit Rana is not there. Now you have to wonder, what actually goes on? How do you determine who to keep and who to let go of? If you talk about performances for India A, Anshul's performance was better, but you kept Harshit Rana looking at continuity.”
Chopra didn’t stop there. He went on to question the role of Gautam Gambhir and the rest of the team’s management staff, asking whether they had a clear plan for selecting players. “If that was the case, then you should have kept Harshit Rana now as well. But he is not there; Anshul Kamboj is there. No clarity whatsoever,” Chopra remarked.
He concluded by acknowledging Kamboj’s potential, “Maybe the management knows, but nobody is telling us anything. This comes as no surprise. Anshul Kamboj was deserving; he is now with the team.”
England currently leads the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2–1. The fourth Test will be crucial for both sides as they head into a must-win contest to keep their hopes alive.
