Anshul Kamboj is a restless figure without the ball in his hand. The Haryana fast bowler often paces at the boundary line, plotting his next move with the cherry, as his bowling colleagues have a go.
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On Thursday, Kamboj managed to channel the entirety of his twitchy energy onto the ball, as he ran through the Kerala batting order, claiming all the eight wickets to fall in his side’s Ranji Trophy match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium.
The 23-year-old started the day with three wickets in his kitty and would add five more as he hustled the Kerala batters with his pace into making mistakes.
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“Yesterday we bowled a little too outside the off stump. We could have had more wickets, considering the way the ball was moving. So, today I bowled a little straighter so that the batter plays every ball,” said Kamboj after the day’s play.
With Kerala down to its last two wickets, Kamboj now has a glorious chance to enter the history books.
Only two players have ever achieved the feat of taking all 10 wickets in a Ranj Trophy innings – Bengal’s Premangsu Chatterjee in 1957 and Rajasthan’s Pradeep Sunderam in 1985. Kamboj is candid enough to admit that the possibility of a ten-wicket-haul entices him.
“Since such a situation [ten wickets] doesn’t come very often, I will try to get two more wickets. But if the team is getting the wickets, I am equally happy,” said Kamboj with a nervous smile.