Mohammad Kaif suggests India’s XI for Manchester Test, backs debut for CSK star

Therefore, I think Kamboj will be given a chance,” Mohammad Kaif stated in a video that was posted on his YouTube page.

The crucial fourth Test between India and England is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 23 at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. With the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at stake, the Shubman Gill-led team, who are behind 1-2 in the five-match series, cannot afford to lose in Manchester.

But lately, the Asian powerhouses have been dealing with injury issues. Akash Deep suffered a groin injury and will not be playing in the fourth Test. Due to a hand injury sustained during a pre-fourth Test training session, Arshdeep Singh is also not available. On the other side, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s knee injury has forced him to miss the rest of the series.

Anshul Kamboj, who was draughted into the team to cover for the injured speedsters, will make his debut before Prasidh Krishna, who participated in the first two Test matches of the series, according to former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif.

According to Mohammad Kaif, Kamboj and Deep have comparable skill sets.

“I believe Anshul Kamboj will be given a chance and Prasidh Krishna would be ignored. Given that he is a talented bowler, his debut is inevitable. He is capable of portraying Akash Deep, who can regularly reach speeds of about 130 km/h and bowl both inswing and outswing with good control.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Kamboj played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In 11 games, the right-arm seamer claimed 10 wickets with a strike rate of 18.90 and an average of 28.60. Kamboj has played in 24 first-class cricket matches, taking 79 wickets with a strike rate of 44.20 and an average of 22.88. He has one half-century to his credit and an average of 16.20, making him a respectable lower-order hitter as well.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Anshul Kamboj are the players in Mohammad Kaif’s India starting lineup for the Manchester Test.