Kamboj likely to make debut for India; England pick Dawson
Manchester
India skipper Shubman Gill has hinted that pacer Anshul Kamboj is 'close to making his debut' and it could be a toss-up between him and Prasidh Krishna for the spot in the fourth Test against England which begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
With the series 2-1 in favour of England heading into Manchester, Team India would be aiming to deliver an incredible all-round performance to level the scoreline. With the injured all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy set to miss out on the remainder of the series and left-armer Arshdeep Singh set to miss the fourth Test due to injury, it has opened a gateway for Kamboj, a 24-year-old right-handed seamer from Haryana.
Speaking of Kamboj, who impressed during India's A's tour to England before the series, Gill said that the team has seen enough of him and the communication with him has been kept simple.
'The communication is simple. We have seen him enough. I think the kind of skill set that he brings to the table is exactly what we want in this team. And he is there because we believe that he can win us the match,' said the captain.
'Even in the second test match, when Akash Deep was brought in, a lot of people had questions, you know, why he's been brought in. But it's mainly the belief that we have within our squad that any player who comes into the team can or can win matches for us,' he added.
Gill also said that Akash Deep is unavailable for the fourth Test.
Kamboj is known for his ability to stick to traditional lengths and hit the deck hard, generating movement. He was part of the India A squad before for the two unofficial Tests against England Lions and impressed in the second, taking four wickets, including two in a single over. Not just with the ball, Kamboj exuded grit with the bat, stitching an unbeaten 149-run stand with Tanush Kotian in the same contest and scoring a half-century himself.
In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, he scalped 34 wickets in six matches and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy. He created history by becoming only the third Indian to take all ten wickets in an innings against Kerala. In First-Class cricket, Kamboj boasts 79 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 22.88 while maintaining a strike rate of 44.2 and an economy of 3.10.
Gill said that while it is not ideal to feature a different bowling attack in every match, he was prepared for this scenario before the series and had planned accordingly.
'And secondly, yes, Anshul, he is very close to making his debut. We are going to see tomorrow, between him and Prasidh, who is going to make it to the playing XI,' he added.
So far in the series, Prasidh has been a mixed bag, taking six wickets at an average of 55.16, with best figures of 3/128, having bowled some expensive spells so far, despite some flashes of brilliance.
England include
spinner Dawson
Liam Dawson will play his first Test in eight years after being named in the England team to face India at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Left-armer Dawson, 35, returns as the replacement for off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who suffered a broken finger in the thrilling third-Test win at Lord's.
Pace bowler Chris Woakes keeps his place, with Gus Atkinson not risked to make a comeback after two months out with a hamstring injury.
England are 2-1 up and will win the series if they take the fourth Test in Manchester. They have not won a five-Test series since 2018.
Hampshire's Dawson will win his fourth Test cap, his third coming against South Africa in July 2017.
While Dawson will provide reliable slow left-arm, he also boosts England's lower-order batting. He owns 18 first-class hundreds and his average of 35.29 outstrips opener Zak Crawley.
India's updated squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: England vs Spain – Women's Euro 2025 final
Defending European champions England face World Cup champions Spain in the women's Euro 2025 final. The match at St Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland kicks off at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT).
Qatar Tribune
18 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Shubman is a new captain, will learn a great deal during England series: Kapil Dev
New Delhi: Former Indian skipper and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has spoken on Shubman Gill's captaincy during India vs England Anderson-Tendulkar Test series and the new captain he will learn a lot. This is Gill's first assignment as Test captain of India. The team is trailing 2-1 in the series. 'It is a new team, and they are getting a chance. In the coming times, these people will win. Whenever a new team is formed in the world, it takes time to adjust. He is a new captain and will learn a great deal. This series will be a learning step,' Kapil Dev told the media. India are struggling in the Fourth Test. Gill has performed strongly with the bat. He has slammed 671 runs in four matches at an average of 95.85 and a strike rate of 71.00. He has smashed three hundreds and a fifty with a best score of 269. He is the leading run scorer in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar test series so recovered after initial shocks in their second innings of the Fourth Test but the team is still in deep waters with England scoring a massive 669 in their first innings and getting an overall lead of 311 over the visitors. (ANI)
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
From Rubiales, sexism and indifference, Spain face England for Euro glory
Who: England vs Spain What: UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final Where: St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland When: Sunday, July 27, at 6pm (16:00 GMT) How to follow: We'll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 3pm (15:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream. If the women's football players of Spain have gone from nobodies to title contenders in less than a decade, it hasn't come easy. The national team has had to fight for better coaching, decent travel conditions, and modern training facilities. It paid off with a World Cup title in 2023, the Nations League crown last year, and they face England on Sunday in the European Championship final. 'It has been a constant with the national team that we have had to fight for acceptable work conditions that would allow us to play at our best,' former Spain defender Marta Torrejon said on Friday. Where did the rise of Spain's women begin? Torrejon lived through the lean years, the time when playing for her country felt like, in her words, a 'waste of time'. And she knows from talking with Barcelona teammates who still play for their country how much things have improved. Torrejon retired from international football after the 2019 World Cup as Spain's then most-capped player with 90 appearances. The 35-year-old has since helped Barcelona win three Champions League titles and a slew of other trophies. She also played a part in one of the revolts Spain's women have staged to demand more from the men who run the game. After the 2015 World Cup, Torrejon and other players successfully pushed for the removal of coach Ignacio Quereda, who had run the team for nearly three decades, for his poor preparation before the team's first appearance in the competition. Quereda was later accused by former players of verbal abuse, an allegation he denied. 'I enjoyed playing for the national team, but the preparation and attention to the player was minimum. It felt, to put it bluntly, like a waste of time,' Torrejon said. 'The level of practice and the level of physical training both plummeted compared to what we had [at Barcelona]. It was like taking a step back. 'I am told that isn't the case now, and I am very glad to hear that.' Torrejon said she saw steps in the right direction under former Spain coach Jorge Vilda, who replaced Quereda, but felt there was still more untapped potential in the team when she retired. What was the Rubiales controversy for Spain? After Torrejon quit the team, some players announced in 2022 that they would no longer play for Vilda unless he ran a more professional operation. He was backed by the federation. Some players returned to play for him, and the team made history by winning the 2023 World Cup. The celebrations were overshadowed by the behaviour of then-federation President Luis Rubiales, who, without her consent, kissed a player on the lips during the awards ceremony in Sydney. Vilda supported Rubiales initially, and he was swept away with his boss when the players stood up to force change, from the removal of Rubiales to improving the travel conditions and handling of the team. Vilda is now coaching Morocco, which is playing Nigeria in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final on Saturday. Torrejon said she had heard from Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes, stalwarts of Spain and Barcelona, that things are better since Rubiales and Vilda left. England wary Rubiales incident may fire Spain England's Ella Toone admits Spain may have extra motivation going into the final after their World Cup triumph two years ago was overshadowed by the events at the end of the game in Sydney. Spain beat England 1-0 in 2023 to win the Women's World Cup for the first time, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal of the game. However, the headlines later were dominated by the forced kiss by Rubiales on player Jenni Hermoso. Rubiales was eventually fined 10,800 euros ($11,670) for sexual assault in February this year. 'It was a difficult period for the Spanish players and for what they did in the World Cup, for that to then be the main talking point, was really tough and something they shouldn't have had to go through,' Toone told reporters in Zurich on Friday. 'They should have celebrated what was an amazing tournament for them.' How did England reach the Euro 2025 final? England's place as a powerhouse of women's international football has long been established, but the last-four clash with Italy nearly provided an upset. Barbara Bonansea gave the Italians the lead, and only a 96th-minute equaliser by Michelle Agyemang forced the game to extra time. Chloe Kelly then left it late to settle the match with penalties looming. The English also had to come from behind to beat Sweden in their last-eight clash. How did Spain reach the Euro 2025 final? New coach Montse Tome has enhanced the training methods. Spain leads the way at the Euros for goals scored, ball possession, passing accuracy and clean sheets. In Spain's 1-0 semifinal win over Germany, Aitana Bonmati leaned on the team's analysts, who informed her that the opposing goalkeeper tended to leave her near post unprotected. The result was an exquisite winner from a tight angle. Torrejon said that sort of tactical insight from the staff was unthinkable a decade ago. How Barcelona played their part in Spain's rise Spain midfielder Patri Guijarro agrees with Torrejon that the sustained investment Barcelona has provided for the past decade in the women's game has boosted the national team. 'Each and every day, we work well in our clubs and I think that is reflected in the achievements of the clubs, but also in the national team,' Guijarro said at Spain's camp in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday. Guijarro also credits the professionalisation of Spain's women's league in 2021, which allowed players 'to dedicate ourselves fully to football'. Guijarro is one of 11 Barcelona players on Spain's 23-member squad. The Barcelona contingent includes Bonmati and Putellas, who have split the last four Ballon d'Or awards between them. Former Barcelona official Xavier Vilajoana oversaw the women's team and the club's training academy from 2015-2020. During that time, the club dramatically increased its funding for women's football and built a training programme for girls. Vilajoana said one critical decision was having the same coaches train the boys' and girls' teams. That way, the Barcelona style was instilled in all the kids, and that ball-possession, short-passing and pressure became fundamentals of the women's teams as well. 'Let's not fool ourselves, we spent many years in a very sexist society, and that was reflected in women's football. So clearly the change in the mentality of society has helped,' Vilajoana said. 'But I also believe that Barca's style of play has helped us see women players in the same way [as men].' In the background, Spain's strong feminist movement helped get the public behind the players as they made strides for equality and success. 'There were many of us players who gave it our all for the national team but weren't able to get this far,' Torrejon said. 'The one thing we knew is that we had talent. We just needed more support.' England team news Lauren James faces a race to be fit after picking up a knock in the semifinal against Italy. Beth Mead could take the attacker's place on the wing should James fail to recover. Esme Morgan was given her first start in tournament football alongside captain Leah Williamson in defence and is set to retain her place. Spain team news Laia Aleixandri returns from a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation in the tournament. The defender is set to immediately return to the backline. Athenea del Castillo is pushing Mariona Caldentey and Claudia Pina for a place on the flanks after a goal and an assist last up. Predicted England and Spain starting lineups England: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Morgan, Greenwood; Stanway, Walsh, Toone; Kelly, Hemp, Russo Spain: Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Aleixandri, Carmona; Bonmati, Guijarro, Putellas; Caldentey, Pina, Gonzalez
