IND vs ENG: What led Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir to prefer rookie Anshul Kamboj over Prasidh Krishna in 4th Test?
With pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh both injured, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir decided to hand the Haryana pacer his debut India cap at Old Trafford - just three years after making his first-clash debut with Haryana. Besides Kamboj, India have also brought in Sai Sudharsan and Shardhul Thakur as other changes.
However, the biggest question is what made Gill and Gambhir to show trust in Kamboj over an experienced Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two games in Leeds and Birmingham.
In the two games for India A, Kamboj might not have got load of wickets, but the right-arm pacer was impressive in containing the flow of runs against England Lions. Kamboj took five wickets in two games.
But what impressed Gill and Gambhir was Kamboj's ability to score runs while batting at no.9. In the second unofficial Test against England Lions in Northampton, Kamboj scored 51 not out in 86 balls an forged a 149-run stand (179 balls) for the unbroken eighth-wicket stand along with Tanush Kotian. Kamboj's knock included five fours and a six.
On the other hand, Krishna was guilty of leaking runs in both the Tests he played. In the first Test in Leeds, Krishna conceded 220 runs for his five wickets, while he gave away 111 runs for one wicket in Birmingham.
In all the three Tests so far, India have struggled with their lower-order batting and Kamboj's inclusion gives Indian management a confidence with the bat to add those extra runs.
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