Kumble — a man for all seasons

Anil Kumble has been the most underestimated cricketer the game has known. His feat in becoming the third man to take 600 wickets in Test cricket is merely the latest accomplishment of a magnificent performer with a record that sets him apart. Cricket will look back and marvel at his achievements. India will look back and wonder at its slowness in appreciating him. In so many ways, Kumble has been the rock of the team. He has been a

Curiously, Kumble has little in common with his two great contemporaries — Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. They relied on excess, spinning the ball ferociously and able by sleight of hand to fool batsmen into playing at thin air. Kumble more closely resembles Glenn McGrath because he does not so much baffle batsmen as torture them with precisely pitched deliveries. Like the Australian, he does not tear opponents apart, just works away methodically till the deed has been done.

"Kumble has the attributes required to achieve greatness in any field, including a disciplined mind whose conclusions he follows without hesitation. He always wants to bowl, never thinks himself down, never concedes defeat.

Captains looking around the field on a scorching afternoon and with hope escaping like sand through fingers need look no further. Kumble will bowl, and with intent.

Few cricketers have kept improving as steadily as Kumble. It has been his quest. He arrived in Test cricket as a sub-continental specialist, able to land the ball on a pin and formidable on wearing tracks. He had a long delivery stride and did not vary his pace much.

Accordingly, he was not nearly as effective overseas. It was not enough for him. Any fool can succeed in his own backyard.

Kumble changed his action, started to beat batsmen in flight with dropping deliveries, and also increased the spin on his leg-break. Batsmen could attack him more easily but he had a better chance of taking wickets. He became a man for all seasons.

The same approach can be seen in his batting. In his early days in Test cricket he was a handy lower-order man, nothing more. Not long ago he mustered a Test century. More recently he stood defiant in Sydney. And he has turned himself into a reliable catcher at gully.

Now Kumble is captaining the Indian team, a mark of respect denied to Warne and Murali. He has emerged as a passionate and committed leader able to balance the interests of the game with the pursuit of victory. No one is surprised. He should have been appointed long ago.

An independent man, Kumble commands respect throughout the game and counts amongst cricket’s few genuine giants. The reason is simple. He has always been true to himself.

--The Hindu