Auckland: Pacer Anshul Kamboj attributed his impressive figures of 2-22 in 10 overs to sticking to consistent lines and lengths rather than overthinking the conditions, after helping India bowl out New Zealand for 185 in the first ODI and winning the player of the match award at Eden Park on Wednesday.
Kamboj played a crucial role in India’s bowling effort, conceding just 22 runs in his 10 overs, including two maidens. He dismissed Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith as New Zealand struggled to build momentum against India’s pace attack.
The Haryana pacer said keeping his approach simple and focusing on the right areas, irrespective of how the pitch behaved, was central to his performance.
“The key was just consistent length and line, not thinking about how the wicket is behaving, just the basic plan, bowling on right lines and right areas,” Kamboj said after the game while receiving the POTM honours.
He also revealed that the wobble-seam delivery was particularly effective on the surface, prompting him to use it repeatedly to trouble the New Zealand batters.
“The wobble seam ball was working very well, so I was using that again and again,” he added.
Kamboj said his preparations for the series had revolved around getting his lengths and lines right, while also studying the strengths and weaknesses of opposition batters to develop an effective plan against them.
“Just working on lengths and good lines, and just looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the batsmen and just working on that,” he said.
Despite bowling in conditions different from those back home, Kamboj said he did not feel the need to make significant adjustments to his length, pointing out that he was able to generate sufficient bounce off the surface.
“It doesn’t matter, because I also get a good amount of bounce off the wicket as well. So it’s like it’s only about the length which I am bowling, just focusing on that,” he said.
Asked about assessing conditions at different venues, the pacer emphasised the importance of reading the surface and identifying the deliveries and lengths most likely to be effective on a given day.
“You just have to look at the wicket and see what is happening on the wicket, what is the best ball to bowl, what is the right length to bowl, just focus on that,” he added.
India chased down a rain-revised target of 143 in 22.4 overs to secure a five-wicket victory and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The second ODI will be played in Wellington on Saturday.
(IANS)
