The Champion returns back to the Dressing Room: A profile of Anil Kumble
- In Current Affairs
- 12:53 PM, Jun 24, 2016
- Aadit Kapadia
Growing up in the 90’s as a cricket fan was difficult in India. We had just started winning at home, but still remained below par in tours outside India. Regardless of how we did, two people made us believe that one day we could. One of course was Sachin Tendulkar and the second was Anil Kumble. (Dravid and Ganguly emerged on the international stage in ‘96, and I would put them in late 90s/00s group). Anil Kumble was an unusual cricketer in many ways. He started cricket when he was studying for his engineering, finished his engineering and took up cricket full time. The bespectacled spinner would go on to become India’s highest wicket taker in ODIs and Test matches. Now as he starts a new innings as India’s coach, I look back at his career and what he brings to the table.
He made his debut in the 90s against England in England and made a huge impression in the ODI series. After a quiet debut in the test matches, he didn’t play a test till 1992. But after a fantastic performance in the Irani trophy, he came back into the national team with excellent performances against South Africa, Zimbabwe and England. Together with Rajesh Chauhan and Venkapathy Raju; Kumble led a spin trio formidable on Indian tracks which steam rolled the opposition. He was nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ and it was quite a sight watching Kumble go against the opposition with the crowd chanting ‘Jumbo’ ‘Jumbo’ behind him.
The 90’s saw the emergence of Anil Kumble as India’s premier strike bowler. Together with Javagal Srinath they toiled hard against teams in different conditions. Kumble was in great form in the 1996 World Cup in India and performed extremely well in tours that followed as well. He dominated the Border Gavaskar trophy in 1998 when India beat Australia convincingly, and went on to win many series for India.
His highest point came on Feb 7, 1999. Anil Kumble got a place in the history books after he became the first cricketer after Jim Laker to grab all 10 wickets in the innings. His figures for 10-74 in the 2nd innings of the Test match against Pakistan helped India win the match and level the historic 2 match series. Such a feat has never been achieved by any bowler since on a cricket field, and he single handedly demolished the opposition that day at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
He kept on going strong still an injury forced him to take a break and saw the emergence of Harbhajan Singh, especially after the 2001 home series against Australia. But Kumble still persisted and in Antigua 2002 we saw one of the bravest moments on the cricket field. Anil Kumble with a fractured jaw, on seeing the ball turn, came to bowl with his jaw strapped and picked up the wicket of Brian Lara. It was one of the highlights of the career of a fighter, and epitomized his love for the sport and Indian cricket that he would give his absolute all when his team needed it.
The Australia tour of 2003 saw Kumble reclaim his spot as the ace spinner where in a commendable performance he led the Indian attack which drew the test series in Australia 1-1 that winter. After that Kumble continued to pick up wickets in one series after the other and surpassed Kapil Dev’s record of 434 wickets. In 2007 he achieved a unique feat by scoring a century against England at the oval. In a career full of bowling achievements, this was a batting milestone for Kumble. After Rahul Dravid, Kumble was entrusted with the captaincy of the test team in a difficult period.
The team had done badly in the world cup and although a great test victory in England followed, the team was going through a transition. He led the team ably with India performing well in a controversial tour of Australia marred with questionable umpiring and the ‘Monkey gate’ scandal. But never one to give up a fight Kumble led India to an inspiring win at Perth in a remarkable fightback. The illustrious career came to an end in a series against Australia the following year. He picked up 619 wickets in Tests and 337 in ODIs to go with plenty more in the first class format. He was not a big turner of the ball, but he was a witty bowler who knew his limitations and played around it. More than anything, he persevered and was at the batsman all the time. He was never the one to give up and kept on fighting till the last ball.
It is this attitude that will benefit the Indian team immensely as he takes over as the coach. He will be a mentor for a spin attack that has looked beleaguered in the last few years and his presence in the dressing room will be a boost for all the youngsters. With him, he brings years of experience, perseverance and more importantly an understanding of the game in India like few do. Unlike many coaches he has even played the IPL and can be a huge resource for a generation who is playing a lot of T-20 cricket about how to balance the format.
Not just as a player, his experience as an administrator will help bridge the gaps between the players and the establishment as well. Having seen the game from all the sides, he brings a unique perspective to the table. May be I am being too optimistic without seeing him in action, but one thing is for sure that he will never give up. The one thing that my generation has seen about him is that he has continued to fight no matter what and that is the attitude in the dressing room that will be welcomed. After a long time an Indian coach will be coaching India full time, and it is a great choice. From someone who wouldn’t look like hurting a fly off the field, Kumble would transform into a fierce competitor on it. Here’s hoping the new transition from on the field to behind the scenes is a successful one.
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