Ranji Trophy: Anshul ‘AK 47’ Kamboj – Haryana’s weapon terrorising batsmen with pace and movement | Cricket News

In the Haryana dressing room, Anshul Kamboj goes the nickname ‘AK 47’. It sounds apt, for there are very few seamers on the domestic circuit these days who have terrorised batsmen with movement as much as Kamboj does. The 24-year-old is into his fourth domestic season, with his stocks rising rapidly every year. With 38 scalps already in red-ball cricket this season, Kamboj is being looked at with plenty of interest national selectors, especially for the Test tour of England in June.
This Ranji Trophy, Kamboj is one among the many reasons Haryana are sitting top of Group C ahead of the all-important match against Karnataka starting Thursday, with a draw sufficient to seal a quarterfinal berth. In four matches so far, Kamboj has snared 22 wickets, including an incredible all 10 in an innings. His teammates chanting “AK 47” – 47 being the number on the back of his shirt – as he runs in has been a common scene this season.
“When they asked for a number, everyone was picking their birth date or a lucky number. But I was looking for something unique that will match name. So I picked 47 because it is also rhyming well…now everyone calls me that,” the seamer tells The Indian Express.

1⃣ innings 🤝 1⃣0⃣ wickets 👏
Horic Spell 🙌
3⃣0⃣.1⃣ overs9⃣ maidens4⃣9⃣ runs1⃣0⃣ wickets 🔥
Watch 📽️ Haryana Pacer Anshul Kamboj’s record-breaking spell in the 1st innings against Kerala 👌👌#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RcNP3NQJ2y
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 15, 2024
Growing up in Haryana’s Karnal, Kamboj’s entry into cricket was mainly through tennis-ball tournaments. And bowling fast was just a compulsion because, “Nobody wants to bowl spin with a tennis ball. If you bowl spin, you will get hit. So bowling fast was the best option and that’s where you got to learn accuracy as well because the margin for error is very small,” Kamboj says.
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It was in the villages of Karnal drict where Kamboj took the ba steps towards becoming an all-rounder. “You have to do both. How long will you sit after bowling? I used to love batting as well and in tennis-ball cricket, they value both. I consider myself a bowling all-rounder.”
So far on the domestic circuit, it is with the ball that Kamboj is making everyone stand up and take notice. Out-and-out pace may not be his forte, but his ability to get the ball jagging both ways at 140 kmph is testing batsmen. Those who have faced him find his unrelenting accuracy his biggest strength to go with his movement. Much of it is down to idolising Australian legend Glenn McGrath, whose bowling visuals Kamboj watches endlessly.
“I would definitely say accuracy is the primary reason why a lot of batsmen struggle against me,” Kamboj says. “I’ve learnt that when you land the ball in the right area no matter which time of the day or innings, you are bound to challenge the batsman. So even as I keep adding new skills to my bowling, I want to be as accurate as possible.”
Legwork over gym work
Compared to other seamers his age, Kamboj seems to be cut from a different cloth. He doesn’t believe in spending too much time in the gym and is old-fashioned in his training methods. It also reflects in the middle with the seamer being among those rare ones who can bowl long spells through the day. “Right from my under-19 days, I believe in spending more time bowling in the nets. When you do so, you are improving everything – from skillset to fitness. When I do that, I also get a better understanding of my recovery,” Kamboj adds.Story continues below this ad
Being with Mumbai Indians over the last two IPL seasons has helped Kamboj fine-tune his training methods. While having a planned diet and working module was an advantage, Kamboj believes the biggest change has been in his practice sessions. “When I saw them train, I realised I’ve to bring my match intensity levels into the nets as well. These days, I bowl with more intent at the nets because that’s where you are learning and in the match you are just testing yourself,” he says.
Kamboj is looking ahead to the summer when he will don the Chennai Super Kings jersey after being acquired the franchise for Rs 3.4 crore. Last season, he played three matches, but hasn’t had a big break so far. “I’ve heard so much about CSK, I just want to go there and see for myself what everyone does there and how they react in pressure situations,” Kamboj feels.

His immediate target though remains the Ranji Trophy, which Haryana last won in 1990-91. “We have a talented team. Last year, we won the Vijay Hazare Trophy, so this time all of us are talking about the Ranji title. If we can do that, we can do this also. There is no bigger motivation than that.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

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