ENG vs IND fourth Test | Pacer Anshul Kamboj added as injury cover in the India squad

Fast bowler Anshul Kamboj has been added to India’s squad ahead of the fourth Test against England as a cover for Arshdeep Singh, who suffered a cut in his bowling hand during a training session in Beckenham earlier this week.

With Arshdeep unlikely to recover in time for the Manchester Test, which begins on Wednesday (July 23, 2025), the national selection committee has decided to add the young fast bowler from Haryana as a back-up option for the remainder of the series.

After a successful domestic season, where he claimed 79 wickets in 24 games for Haryana, Kamboj had a fruitful stint with India-A during its two three-day match series against England Lions. As he claimed five wickets in two games, the selectors were impressed with his performance.

Last season, Kamboj claimed a 10-wicket haul in a Ranji Trophy innings, becoming the third cricketer to do so, after Premangsu Chatterjee and Pradeep Sunderram.

With Arshdeep likely to take another 10 days to recover and Akash Deep picking up a groin niggle, it would be interesting to see if Kamboj, who linked up with the squad on Sunday (July 20, 2025), is eventually drafted into India’s playing XI.

India now finds itself in a spot of bother ahead of the series-deciding Test, and the availability of Jasprit Bumrah becomes even more critical. Among the pacers, Mohammed Siraj is the only one to have played all three Tests in this series and has bowled the most overs for the touring team. With still a couple of matches to go, the team management needs to manage Siraj’s workload carefully.

As it rained on Sunday (July 23, 2025), India’s optional training session remained a closed-door affair. Senior players — including captain Shubman Gill, vice-captain Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, K.L. Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah — skipped the session while the other members spent a couple of hours at the indoor facility.