Anshul Kamboj (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: CSK head coach Stephen Fleming sparked fresh excitement in Indian cricket circles by identifying young fast bowler Anshul Kamboj as a potential gamechanger for India’s upcoming Test tour of England.Kamboj’s deceptive pace combined with his ability to hit a testing length makes him a nightmare for batsmen, especially in conditions where the ball moves off the seam.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After CSK’s game against RR, Fleming described Kamboj as “an ideal bowler for English conditions” and said the Haryana pacer would be “an absolute handful” if picked for the red-ball assignment.Who’s that IPL player?“Kamboj is good. His speeds have been around 138-139 (kmph). He is deceptive and the ball always seems to hit the gloves harder. His big strength is his length, and he just gets the ball to wobble. You have seen it in this year’s IPL how he has performed on reasonably flat wickets. I believe he will do well on that tour (of England) if he gets conditions that seam a bit and a little bit of swing,” Fleming said. It’s not every day that a coach of Fleming’s stature singles out a relatively new face in Indian cricket and places him in the conversation for a challenging overseas Test series.

“He will be an absolute handful (in English conditions). He has got some real potential with both white and red ball. We’re happy with his development and the opportunity he has taken this year,” said Fleming. “He’s shown great temperament under pressure. But what really excites me is how well he controls the ball when the conditions give him a little assistance. That’s a skill that’s hard to teach – it comes with instinct and he has it.”Fleming’s assessment is echoed by CSK captain MS Dhoni who noted that while Kamboj doesn’t swing the ball prodigiously, the seam movement he extracts makes him a “valuable asset”.Kamboj’s progress has been rewarded with his recent selection for the India A squad touring England, where he will play two unofficial Tests against the England Lions just before the five-match Test series against England starts.In Nov 2024, he etched his name in Ranji history by becoming only the third bowler ever to claim all 10 wickets in a single innings. The 10/49 came against Kerala.