"One bad match does not decide a player's career" - Anshul Kamboj reflects on tough debut after 1st NZ vs IND 2026 ODI

Anshul Kamboj had a horror ODI debut against the West Indies in New Chandigarh last month. In nine overs, he registered figures of 0-82. On Wednesday, November 4, he made a strong comeback, registering figures of 2-22 from 10 overs against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland. The right-arm pacer's figures featured two maidens.

Bowling first after winning the toss in the first ODI against New Zealand in Auckland, India held the Black Caps to 185. Chasing a revised DLS target of 143 in 32 overs, the Men in Blue cruised home by five wickets in 22.4 overs as Virat Kohli scored 74 off 51 balls.

Kamboj was named Player of the Match for his impactful bowling effort. Speaking at the post-match press conference, he reflected on his forgettable ODI debut and commented:

"One bad match does not decide a player's career. I have been doing the same things right from the start. One bad match doesn't affect me much. It has only given me the motivation to do better. I don't pay attention to the chatter. I focus on my cricket and see how I can improve.

"In cricket, if you focus more on the process than the result, then [you will be alright]. If you are executing well, if you want to bowl a yorker, if you execute well, and still go for runs, then there's no problem. You don't focus on the result, because the result won't always be in your favour. What you can do is you can execute well," he added.

Kamboj dismissed Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith in a probing spell. Among other bowlers, Arshdeep Singh impressed with 4-70, while Gurnoor Brar claimed 3-44.

"Just focus on your execution" - Kamboj on feedback after ODI debut

Asked about the kind of feedback he received after his one-day debut, Kamboj said that the advice from the team management was pretty simple - to focus on bowling in good areas and not thinking too much about the result. He said:

"The feedback [after his ODI debut] was that if you are bowling in good areas, then you should continue it. It's not necessary that if you execute well every time, you will go for runs every time. So, just focus on your execution as much as possible. Don't think too much about the result."

Meanwhile, the second of the India-New Zealand series will be played in Wellington on November 7.

Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️