The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Kumble stands by his bowling partner

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 22, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Kumble stands by his bowling partner

By K.C. Vijaya Kumar

BANGALORE, MARCH 21. The latest controversy involving Harbhajan's doosra has evoked a strong response from past and present cricketers.

Kumble was quick to his defence and said, "I am not aware of the reports but as far as I am concerned, his action is clear and fine." Kumble said this in a brief interaction with the media during a private function here on Monday morning.

Venkatesh Prasad, now a qualified Level Three coach, also expressed his displeasure. "Harbhajan is a fantastic bowler and our best off-spinner who has won many matches for India. I think it is unfair that he has been reported. And it is wrong that the reports have not been kept confidential! Imagine what this could do to Harbhajan's confidence? And in two days he will bowl for India. If the whole issue is about his doosra, I would like to know how the umpires could decide that it is beyond the ICC's 15-degree tolerance limit? How do they assess this in terms of the naked eye? In fact bio-mechanic experts in Australia have recently cleared Harbhajan's action so how does this whole issue arise again?" asked Prasad.

Former wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani, who was the selection committee chairman until recent times, was guarded in his response, "I don't agree with the 15 degree clause because how will you judge on the ground? A bowler is different in the way he bowls in a lab and in a match-situation. In a match a bowler may be bowling well but there is always a chance that he might slip in an illegal delivery. So how will you curtail that?"

Meanwhile, the team management's views on this issue are expected to be expressed in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

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