Fast bowler Anshul Kamboj was named the Player of the Match simply because of his bowling performance against the New Zealand National Cricket Team today (November 4) in Auckland for the 1st ODI of the ongoing bilateral series. The India National Cricket Team got a five-wicket win in the rain-interrupted match, mostly with the support of their fast bowlers.

Anshul Kamboj, who is mostly known as a swing bowler and for his control over his deliveries, put a shackle on the New Zealand batters today so that they could barely rotate the strike. Kamboj was right on the money, as when the host team lost its tenth batter, they had only 185 runs on the scoreboard.

Anshul Kamboj explains his mentality after winning POTM in 1st ODI vs New Zealand

India won the 5-match ODI series opener by 5 wickets, through the DLS method. Kamboj got the POTM award for his 2/22 bowling figure. In his 10-over quota, the seamer conceded only a 2.20 economy rate, including a pair of maiden overs. Inmodern-erar cricket, this kind of bowling performance has become very rare.

While speaking to the media representatives after the match, Anshul Kamboj discussed how he kept himself ready after being dropped from the team. Kamboj made his debut for the national team in 2025, when the Indian cricket team was struggling with multiple injuries.

Injuries and fitness-related issues made the selection choice so thin that the national cricket team selectors were forced to call up Kamboj to join the team during the Anderson-Tendulkar Test series. The Haryana-born made his Test debut in Manchester, where he picked only one wicket, before being dropped.

One match doesn’t decide a career: Anshul Kamboj

Kamboj told the reporters that only one match was not enough to define his career, so he kept his focus only on his game, instead of listening to the outside noise. As he gained enough confidence through his preparations, he was ready to do something significant for the Indian cricket team.

"One match doesn’t decide a career. I have been doing the same things. I got motivation to do well after the Manchester Test. I don't pay attention to outside talk. When you prepare well, it gives you confidence 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," said Kamboj.

Rare ODI record for Anshul Kamboj

According to the stats, there were very few cricketers before Kamboj who were awarded the Player of the Match award for picking 2 or fewer wickets and without facing a single ball in an ODI match.

Indian players winning POTM without facing a ball and picking 2 or fewer wickets in ODIs:
2/22 Anshul Kamboj vs New Zealand Auckland 2026
2/19 Jasprit Bumrah vs Pakistan, Ahmedabad 2023
2/28 Jasprit Bumrah vs South Africa The Oval 2017
2/26 Mohit Sharma vs Zimbabwe Bulawayo 2013
2/19 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Pakistan Edgbaston 2013
2/22 Anil Kumble vs Kenya Nairobi 2000
2/22 Javagal Srinath vs New Zealand Mumbai BS 1995
2/29 Anil Kumble vs England Leeds 1990