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Following a 'Player of the Match' award-winning spell against New Zealand in Auckland, Indian seamer Anshul Kamboj reflected on this highly crucial spell following a rough start to his international career, saying that playing badly in a match does not define one's career and that he keeps himself away from all the outside noise.
Kamboj's spell of 2/22 might look ordinary on paper, but the fact that he delivered these figures within 10 overs showcases how much pressure he created on Kiwi batters in a low-scoring first ODI in Auckland. Having taken wickets of Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith, Kamboj conceded only two fours and increased the Kiwis' dot-ball percentage, causing them to make mistakes and go for risky shots. Not so long ago, Anshul was thrashed all over the park by West Indies batters, particularly skipper Shai Hope during the ODI at New Chandigarh. The seamer conceded 82 in his nine overs during his debut ODI, out of which 42 were collected in 31 balls by Hope, who also hit him for six fours. In his international debut during a Test match against England last year, he bowled an 18-over spell of 1/89, not really an ideal debut for a prospect after plenty of domestic and IPL hype. Reflecting on his bounce back after a few tough initial outings in international cricket, the Haryana seamer said during the presser, "If someone loses a match, it doesn't decide whether it is good or bad for his career. I was doing the same things from the beginning, and I am still doing the same thing. So, doing bad in a game did not affect me much. I just got the motivation to do better, to do better and to get better." Adding about how he deals with the outside noise and extreme reactions from Indian cricket fans and experts, he said, "I do not pay much attention to these things. I focus more on my cricket and see how I can improve it. I do not pay attention to what people think about me or what they say about me. So, it does not make a big difference to me." Anshul also said that the wicket at Auckland offered a lot of seam and purchase and it was also important to bowl good lengths. "I did not think about the result. There was a lot of purchase on the wicket if one bowled in the right areas. There are small grounds in India as well. So dimensions do not really make a difference. When you look at the wicket, you also look at how you need to bowl. You do not look at the dimensions. You do that only when there is no purchase on the surface," added Kamboj while speaking further on his process. Anshul, who can also deliver handy contributions with the bat, is focused on improving both aspects, bat and ball and shuts the other one completely if he has the other weapon in his hand. "You do not have to pay attention to bowling while batting. And also do not pay attention to batting while bowling," he said. Speaking on the conversations with the team management, he said that he has been asked to focus on his execution rather than thinking a lot about the result. "It is not necessary that if you execute well every time, you will go for runs. So just focus on your execution as much as possible. Do not think about the result," he signed off. An authoritative 74 by Virat Kohli and top-notch bowling spells from Arshdeep Singh and Anshul Kamboj were the highlights as India beat New Zealand in a rain-curtailed first ODI of the five-match series at Auckland on Wednesday. Arshdeep Singh spearheaded India's bowling attack with an impressive four-wicket haul, while Gurnoor Brar (3/44 in 9.2 overs) claimed three wickets and Anshul Kamboj (2/22 in 10 overs) chipped in with two scalps to dismantle New Zealand's batting line-up for 185. Virat (74 off 51 balls, with 13 fours) dictated the game with authority as India gunned down a revised target of 143 runs needed in 32 overs easily. India's innings was marked by rain interruptions. (ANI)
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