Indian fast bowler Anshul Kamboj has revealed that his disappointing performance against the West Indies did not affect his confidence, but instead motivated him to improve. The young pacer put that setback behind him and delivered an impressive performance in India’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first ODI at Eden Park, Auckland.
Kamboj endured a difficult international debut against the West Indies at Mullanpur in October, conceding 82 runs in nine overs. However, he responded strongly in Auckland, producing an excellent bowling spell of 2/22 in his allotted 10 overs. His disciplined effort played a significant role in restricting New Zealand and helping India secure a winning start to the ODI series.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Anshul Kamboj explained that he never allowed one disappointing outing to affect his mindset. “One bad match doesn’t decide a player’s career. I just focused on my process as I had always done. It didn’t have much effect on me that I couldn’t do well in one match,” Kamboj said.
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He further added that the experience helped him identify areas requiring improvement and gave him additional motivation to perform better. The 24-year-old also explained how he adapted to the conditions at Eden Park, where the surface offered some assistance to the seamers. Kamboj stressed the importance of maintaining consistent lengths and bowling in the right areas to make the most of the conditions.
Anshul Kamboj: One match doesn’t decide a career… I have been doing same things. I got motivation to do well after Manchester Test. I dont pay attention to outside talk.
When you prepare well, it gives you confidence so and ensures there are no surprises in the match.
Dimensions were different but it doesn’t matter when there is help off the pitch.
All rounder role is simple: focus on batting when bat in hand, bowling when ball in hand
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) November 4, 2026
His disciplined approach paid dividends as he dismissed New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith. He also effectively utilised the wobble-seam delivery, which proved useful on the Auckland surface.
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Kamboj further highlighted the advantage of having two new balls in ODI cricket, with one being used from each end. According to the Indian pacer, this allows bowlers to extract better assistance from the conditions and make an impact during their spells. After a challenging debut, Kamboj’s performance against New Zealand demonstrated his ability to learn from setbacks and respond with determination.
